Brighton & Hove Albion come from behind to draw 1-1 with Crystal Palace in Thursday’s M23 derby at Selhurst Park.
Brighton & Hove Albion came from behind to draw 1-1 with Crystal Palace in Thursday’s M23 derby at Selhurst Park.
Jordan Ayew‘s header in the closing stages of the first period sent Palace ahead, but Danny Welbeck levelled the scores in the 82nd minute, with the points being shared in the Premier League affair.
The result has seen Brighton move up one place into eighth position in the table, now on 27 points from their 18 matches this term, while Palace remain in 15th position.
Brighton had the first half-chance of the match in the fourth minute, but Pascal Gross‘s effort was always moving wide of the post.
The game’s next opportunity did not arrive until the 19th minute, with Simon Adingra testing the reflexes of Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson, before Carlos Baleba fired wide from the rebound.
Gross tried his luck once again from distance in the 40th minute, but it was relatively comfortable for Henderson, and it did appear that a fairly uneventful first period would finish 0-0.
Palace had other ideas, though, with the home side making the breakthrough shortly before the break following a mistake from Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, who made a mess of a clearance.
The assist came from Michael Olise, with his excellent delivery allowing Ayew the opportunity to head into the back of the net from close range, and he took it to spark jubilant scenes from the home supporters.
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Brighton came close to levelling the scores in the 54th minute when Lewis Dunk met a brilliant delivery from Gross, but the centre-back’s header just missed the far post.
The visitors wanted a penalty in the 55th minute when Jack Hinshelwood scuffed his shot wide under pressure from Ayew, but the referee was not interested, and a resulting VAR check confirmed that it was the right call.
Kaoru Mitoma was then denied by Henderson, with Brighton very much on the front foot at Selhurst Park; Henderson was again called into action in the 65th minute, flying across his goal to deny Billy Gilmour, before Hinshelwood somehow turned a cross from Gross wide at the far post.
There was another nervy moment for Palace in the 68th minute when Henderson failed to gather the ball despite a couple of attempts, but the home side’s defence stood strong, with the danger being cleared.
Eberechi Eze had a chance to double Palace’s lead in the 78th minute when he had time and space inside the Brighton box after smart work from Jean-Philippe Mateta, but he took too long, allowing the recovering defender to make the block.
Mateta then smashed one over the crossbar in the 79th minute, before Henderson kept out Mitoma down the other end during an incredibly open period of the match.
Brighton managed to level the scores in the 82nd minute, though, with Welbeck’s looping header from a Gross cross finding a route into the back of the net.
The visitors almost scored a second in the 89th minute when Henderson came out and punched the ball against Welbeck, but luckily for the ex-Manchester United goalkeeper, the ball dropped wide of the post.
Brighton were the team pushing for the game’s third goal, with Gilmour striking wide late on, but the points were ultimately shared, with the Seagulls deserving a leveller due to their second-half performance.
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