This was the harshest of lessons for Brighton & Hove Albion, who twice surrendered the lead as Bournemouth garnered a point from what proved thoroughly entertaining fare on a dank Sussex afternoon. Eddie Howe’s side have taken flak for playing themselves into trouble – and they did so again here – but it was Brighton who imploded late on, making a mess of a late corner to allow Callum Wilson to swipe home an ugly equaliser.

“It was not one for the purists but we will take that,” Howe said with a wry smile. “I’m happy with how we came back and fought back. But I’m disappointed with the goals we have conceded.”

Glenn Murray, deemed an unwanted commodity at Bournemouth last summer, had put Brighton back in front against his former club before Wilson took advantage of some slapstick defending 11 minutes from time. For the Brighton manager this was a case of two priceless points dropped.

“I am hugely disappointed,” Chris Hughton said after his 150th game in charge of the team. “I am more disappointed with the first goal because set pieces are an area that we have tried to work on. The second one can happen. Players have attempted to clear the ball. It is one of those that every now and then happens.”

Brighton had begun the year in style with Anthony Knockaert rounding off a slick team move inside five minutes. Shane Duffy’s cross-field ball found José Izquierdo, who played a neat give-and-go with the again impressive Pascal Gross before sliding the ball across goal for Knockaert to rattle home with his right foot for only his second goal of the season. After another one-two, this time between Murray and the – on this form – irresistible Izquierdo, the former forced a strong right-hand save from Asmir Begovic in the Bournemouth goal.

“The threat that he gave us, I thought he was very good,” Hughton said of Izquierdo, a £13m club-record signing from Club Brugge last summer. “He is a worker also, if you look at the way that he plays it is not just about making forward runs. He defends well for the team and he wants to do well.”

Murray had toyed with Steve Cook, dummying for Knockaert, who was dashing down the right until being tugged back by Lewis Cook. Bournemouth then woke with Markus Suttner having to hack clear Steve Cook’s goal-bound header. From the resulting corner Cook again rose above Duffy to head home the equaliser off the underside of the bar.

That goal developed some belief within the visiting side and Lewis Cook’s nimble footwork freed an onrushing Marc Pugh but Mathew Ryan comfortably saved the winger’s effort. Three minutes before half-time Izquierdo started and very nearly finished another fine Brighton move but was superbly denied by Begovic.

Anthony Knockaert celebrates scoring the opening goal. Photograph: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

Bournemouth survived but swiftly came unstuck after the interval and this time it was of their own doing. Simon Francis, their captain, ran the ball out of defence but straight into Izquierdo who prompted a ruthless Brighton attack, bearing down on Begovic before unselfishly squaring for Murray, who had time to steady himself before slamming the ball home. The Colombian should also have scored himself after galloping 40 yards upfield but shot straight at Begovic.

In an end-to-end affair, Wilson and Jordon Ibe combined before the latter tested Ryan, and then struck a post after jinking away from Gross. But Bournemouth eventually prospered in unconventional fashion. Wilson juggled the ball in the box – with Dunk appearing to handle – before Brighton tried and failed to clear Ibe’s in-swinging corner on five occasions. It cost them dearly, as Wilson’s scruffy miskick trickled into the net.