Brighton salvages point at Palace

NEAL Maupay snatched a last-gasp equaliser as Brighton rescued a dramatic 1-all draw against arch rivals Crystal Palace on Tuesday.

Trailing to Wilfried Zaha’s first half penalty, Brighton avoided defeat in the most remarkable fashion.

With just seconds left at Selhurst Park, French striker Maupay (pictured) punished a poor clearance from Palace keeper Vicente Guaita to leave the hosts stunned.

Brighton has been this season’s surprise package and a victory in south London would have taken it into first place in the top tier for the first time in its 120-year history.

While Graham Potter’s side was unable to achieve that lofty aim, stealing a point in the derby clash was sufficient consolation. It sits sixth in the table, just one point behind leader Liverpool. “When you’re 1-0 down going into the 96th minute and you score it feels like a win,” Potter said. “It’s a fantastic feeling to get the equaliser. The spirit is amazing.”

Born in the 1970s as a result of a spat between then Palace boss Terry Venables and his Brighton counterpart Alan Mullery, the Eagles and the Seagulls have an unusually bitter rivalry for two clubs located 70km apart.

Their meetings have been dubbed “El Gatwicko”, in a reference to the Gatwick Airport located between Selhurst Park and Brighton.

While few would mistake this curious grudge match for the intensity of the Manchester or Merseyside derbies, there was no doubting the passion of the Brighton players and fans as they celebrated at the final whistle.

It was cruel on Palace boss Patrick Vieira, whose side dominated for long periods but now has just one win from its first six league games under the former Arsenal star.

“We are really gutted,” Vieira said.

“We played a good game, conceding a goal in the last kick of the game.

“It’s something that is difficult to accept.”