Birmingham City Women 2-2 Brighton & Hove Albion Women
Barclays Women’s Super League - Sunday, 13 September 2026
St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park
Birmingham City Women were denied a first victory of their return to the Barclays Women’s Super League after Brighton & Hove Albion Women produced a dramatic late comeback to rescue a 2-2 draw at St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park.
The Blues appeared to be heading towards an impressive three points after goals from Océane Hurtré and Lily Crosthwaite gave Birmingham a commanding two-goal advantage.
However, Brighton refused to give up. Olivia García reduced the deficit in the 77th minute before Kiko Seike completed the comeback by scoring in the fifth minute of added time.
The result gives Birmingham City Women their first point of the new WSL campaign following their opening-day defeat against Manchester City. The late equaliser will nevertheless leave the Blues disappointed after they had been within seconds of securing all three points.
Fast Start from Birmingham City Women
Birmingham made an excellent start in front of their home supporters and were rewarded for their early pressure after just 10 minutes.
Océane Hurtré found herself in a dangerous position inside the Brighton penalty area before keeping her composure to fire a left-footed finish into the bottom-left corner.
The early goal gave Birmingham confidence and the Blues continued to look dangerous going forward.
Brighton responded with pressure of their own and created opportunities, with Fran Kirby seeing a header saved by Birmingham goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley.
Kiko Seike also tested Baggaley after finding space on the right, but Birmingham’s goalkeeper was alert to the danger.
At the other end, Lily Crosthwaite came close to adding a second, although her effort was saved by Brighton goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie.
Neve Herron also tested Nnadozie from distance as Birmingham continued to threaten.
The Blues went into half-time with their 1-0 advantage intact and were in a strong position to claim their first WSL victory of the campaign.
Crosthwaite Doubles Birmingham’s Lead
Birmingham continued their positive start after the interval and doubled their advantage just eight minutes into the second half.
Lily Crosthwaite collected possession following good work from Hurtré before producing a composed right-footed finish from the right side of the penalty area.
The ball found the bottom-left corner and Birmingham were suddenly 2-0 ahead.
It was an excellent position for the Blues, who were beginning to move closer to what would have been a memorable first home victory since returning to the Women’s Super League.
Brighton, though, continued to fight.
The visitors began to increase the pressure and Sophie Baggaley was increasingly called upon to protect Birmingham’s two-goal advantage.
Baggaley Keeps Brighton at Bay
Olaug Tvedten and Olivia García both tested the Birmingham goalkeeper, while Caitlin Hayes also saw a header saved.
Baggaley produced a series of important interventions as Brighton looked for a route back into the contest.
For large periods, Birmingham defended their advantage effectively, but the increasing pressure from the visitors eventually produced a breakthrough.
Brighton Pull One Back
With Birmingham defending deeper, Brighton found the goal they needed in the 77th minute.
Olivia García found the net from inside the penalty area to reduce the deficit to 2-1.
The goal changed the momentum of the match and Birmingham now faced a tense final period as Brighton pushed forward in search of an equaliser.
The Blues made changes as they attempted to manage the game, with Rebecca Holloway coming on for Shannon Cooke and Chancelle Effa Effa replacing Hurtré.
Birmingham continued to battle and appeared to be on course to hold on.
However, an injury to Neve Herron contributed to a lengthy stoppage period, meaning Brighton were given five additional minutes to find an equaliser.
Heartbreak in Added Time
With the clock moving beyond the 90-minute mark, Birmingham were desperately trying to protect their slender advantage.
Then came the heartbreak.
In the fifth minute of added time, Kiko Seike broke into the Birmingham penalty area and produced a superb finish from a difficult angle on the right.
Her right-footed effort flew into the top-right corner, leaving Baggaley with no chance.
Brighton had completed the comeback.
The final whistle followed shortly afterwards, confirming a 2-2 draw and leaving Birmingham players and supporters disappointed after coming within seconds of a hugely significant victory.
Plenty of Positives for Birmingham City Women
Although surrendering a two-goal lead so late will undoubtedly hurt, there were plenty of positives for Birmingham City Women.
For large periods of the match, the Blues looked comfortable against a Brighton side containing considerable experience and quality.
The performance demonstrated that Birmingham can compete at WSL level following their promotion from WSL2.
Océane Hurtré continued her impressive start to the campaign with another goal, while Lily Crosthwaite produced an excellent finish to give Birmingham their two-goal advantage.
Sophie Baggaley was also one of Birmingham’s standout performers, making several important saves as Brighton increased the pressure during the second half.
The major disappointment will be the failure to see the game out after establishing such a strong position.
Two points were effectively lost in the final moments, but the Blues can take confidence from the fact that they were within seconds of beating a strong Brighton side.
Chelsea Next for Birmingham City Women
Birmingham City Women will now turn their attention to another major challenge when they travel to face Chelsea Women next weekend.
The fixture provides another opportunity for the Blues to demonstrate their ability to compete against established WSL opposition.
After securing their first point of the campaign, Birmingham will head into the next fixture knowing there is plenty of encouragement to take from their opening two matches.
The result against Brighton may feel like a missed opportunity, particularly after Birmingham had established a two-goal lead, but the performance showed that Birmingham City Women are ready for the challenge of life back in the Women’s Super League.
Full-Time
Birmingham City Women 2-2 Brighton & Hove Albion Women
Birmingham scorers: Océane Hurtré 10’, Lily Crosthwaite 53’
Brighton scorers: Olivia García 77’, Kiko Seike 90+5’
Competition: Barclays Women’s Super League
Venue: St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park
Date: Sunday, 13 September 2026
A two-goal lead slipped away at the death, but Birmingham City Women can take plenty of encouragement from a performance that showed they can compete in the Women’s Super League. The Blues will now look to build on their first point of the campaign when they face another major test next weekend.