Joao Pedro’s contentious added-time penalty settled an even contest between two European contenders. Brighton and Hove Albion, who looked bereft after being hit for seven by Nottingham Forest in February, have now won six matches in a row and sit sixth in the Premier League table. Pedro, who won the spot-kick with a theatrical tumble over Harrison Reed’s leg after the Fulham substitute had stabbed at the ball, barely beat Bernd Leno’s dive with the decisive strike – but it was probably asking too much for the German goalkeeper to save a third penalty in six days. Marco Silva didn’t berate referee Sam Barrott for a soft award, but questioned how his players had a lost a lead created by a brilliant Raul Jimenez finish from Alex Iwobi’s cross within three minutes by gifting Jan Paul van Hecke oceans of time and space to head home a free-kick.

The spot-kick was generous but Albion were asking most of the questions by the end of an absorbing battle between two sides who have played themselves into continental contention through attractive football. Pedro’s artful embellishment of the merest contact created an opportunity to go down – the actions of ‘a clever striker,’ according a crestfallen visiting head coach. Silva, who has already been banned twice for venturing too trenchant an opinion about the standard of English officiating, opted for the safer ground of criticising his side’s poor game management, which handed Brighton a first Premier League win over Fulham and their fourth home league win a row in the top tier, something last achieved 44 years ago.

Silva switched formation from Fulham’s shoot-out success at Old Trafford, deploying Issa Diop as one of three centre halves, dropping Andreas Pereira into the central midfield role vacated by the suspended Sasa Lukic and giving Emile Smith Rowe a first start in a month. The ex-Arsenal midfielder had the first sight of goal when Timothy Castagne’s cross broke kindly at his feet, but Smith Rowe’s snapshot was deflected wide.

Albion worked Bernd Leno through the craft of Karou Mitoma and a snapshot from Pedro, but it was the visitors who hit the front ten minutes before the break. Iwobi galloped into space along the right flank and his deep cross found Jimenez at the back post. The Mexican magnificently chested the ball down, taking van Hecke and Jack Hinshelwood out of the game in an instant, and lashed in a left-footed strike before Bert Verbruggen could react.

But Fulham’s advantage was squandered within six minutes. Pereira conceded a tame free-kick and Fulham’s three centre backs stood and watched van Hecke run onto Yasin Ayari’s floated free-kick, with the centre back’s header looping over the stranded Bernd Leno and in off the far post. The home side carried on from way they left off before the interval with Joao Pedro screwing a shot wide after a wonderful one-two with Georginio Rutter and Mitoma seeing a goal ruled out because Yankuba Minteh had ventured offside from Pedro’s pass.

Fulham had openings too but the energetic Iwobi spurned the clearest of them, seeing a shot deflected wide when van Hecke threw himself into the way as the Nigerian international connected with a clever cut-back from the rapid Antonee Robinson. Silva shuffled his bench gradually, whilst Fabian Hürzeler went for broke. Danny Wellbeck badly misjudged a free header from Pedro’s cross and another substitute Simon Adingra saw a goal ruled out by a second offside flag, but Fulham failed to hold on after demonstrating their ambitions to try and win the game in five minutes of added time.

Referee Barrott had played beyond the indicated minimum of minutes when Pedro made the most of contact as Reed, unaware of the striker’s presence, sought to clear from close to the byline. The official pointed to the spot and, after prolonged Fulham protests that saw Joachim Andersen shown yellow, Joao Pedro squeezed his third goal in as many games past Leno’s dive after the goalkeeper had gone the right way. It felt unjust – but Fulham were the architects of their own demise on a sun-kissed spring afternoon on the south coast that ultimately saw Brighton creep closer to the Champions’ League places. The Whites have now dropped 22 points from winning positions, only bottom side Southampton have squandered more.

BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION (4-2-3-1): Verburggen; Hinshelwood, Estupiñán, van Hecke, Webster; Baleba (Wieffer 86), Ayari (Gomez 69); Mitoma (Adringra 86), Rutter (Welbeck 77), Minteh (March 76); Joao Pedro. Subs (not used): Rushworth, Cashin, Knight, Slater.

GOALS: van Hecke (41), Joao Pedro (90+8).

FULHAM (3-4-3): Leno; Andersen, Diop, Bassey; Castagne, A. Robinson, Berge, Pereira (Reed 82); Iwobi (R. Sessegnon 82), Smith Rowe (Willian 82); Jimenez (Muniz 69). Subs (not used): Benda, Cuenca, King, Cairney, Godo.

BOOKED: A. Robinson, Andersen.

REFEREE: Sam Barrott (Sheffield).

ATTENDANCE: 31,584.