German midfielder Gross fired Brighton ahead with a 26th-minute penalty before Vestergaard levelled with a superb header on the stroke of halftime and Ings turned the match on its head with an 81st-minute penalty.

The result left Southampton fifth in the standings on 20 points from 11 games while Brighton stayed 16th on 10 points, four clear of the relegation zone.

James Ward-Prowse handled an innocuous-looking ball in the area and Gross made no mistake with the spotkick, sending goalkeeper Alex McCarthy the wrong way.

Ward-Prowse made amends when he floated in an inviting corner for Vestergaard to head home inside the far post as Southampton pressed in the closing stages of the first half.

When the match seemed to be heading for a draw, Solly March was deemed to have fouled Kyle Walker-Peters just inside the penalty area and Ings drilled in the spotkick to silence some 2,000 home Brighton fans.