NEAL DENIES PALACE VICTORY MAUPAY LANDS SUCKER PUNCH
Brighton stun hosts to claim injur y-time draw
SUBSTITUTES
Benteke (for Edouard 72);
Kouyate (for Milivojevic 72); Schlupp (for Ayew 86).
NOT USED: Butland, Kelly, Clyne, Hughes, Olise, Mateta.
SUBSTITUTES
Alzate (for Burn 46);
Moder (for Alzate 65);
Connolly (for Welbeck 76).
NOT USED: Steele, Lamptey, Mac Allister, March, Roberts, Richards.
PALACE
CONOR GALLAGHER
BRIGHTON
LEANDRO TROSSARD
BRIGHTON, like the rest of England, ran out of gas last night with the summit of the Premier League just around the corner.
Neal Maupay struck deep into injury time to salvage a point but it was not enough to take Albion top of the pile in English football for the first time in their 120 year history.
Until those dying seconds it looked as though Wilfried Zaha, the man who Albion cannot wait to see the back of, had shoved them off course when they were not even half way up the road in the A23 derby.
His penalty was his eighth goal against the Seagulls in his 400th appearance for Palace.
Fuel
Again, like in the world outside Selhurst Park last night, Palace’s midfield looked low on fuel and lacked the power needed to clinch the win they so wanted.
They were totally outplayed by a Palace side who are just beginning to show what might be coming from the Patrick Vieira revolution — with Conor Gallagher the stand out in a whirlwind, tight pressing, sharp-moving performance.
Vieira’s team had looked on course for only their second win in their first six league games, which would have settled the nerves after an uncertain start under the Frenchman.
The last thing you want to do if you are Palace is allow your bitter rivals to go top of the league. Unthinkable, and it showed.
Brighton went i nto the game without key midfielder Yves Bissouma, who had still not recovered from his knee injury.
Palace gave a first start to new str iker Odsonne Edouard, who scored twice against Tottenham coming off the bench in his last outing at Selhurst Park.
They started as they meant to go on, buzzing around the Brighton penalty area. It was no-holds-barred right from that start, as expected, as Joachim Andersen hurled Maupay to the ground.
Saved
Edouard and Zaha both had efforts saved by Robert Sanche z as Pal ace dominated, though Pascal Gross went close for Albion, but Danny Welbeck muffed his shot when clean through.
Yet on the stroke of half time Palace’s pressure paid off. Gallagher burst into the box and was brought down by Leandro Trossard.
Up stepped Brighton’s nemesis, Zaha, to ram home the spot kick.
Header
Albion manager Graham Potter switched to a back four after half time, and Lewis Dunk saw his header pushed over by Vicente Guaita.
But there was nowhere near enough penetration from Pot t e r ’ s team, who were desperately disappointing.
Palace should have added to their tally, Jordan Ayew shooting wide from Christian Benteke’s pass when he was clean through.
With almost five minutes of added time played it appeared Palace had the win sown up.
But a ball over the top in the dying seconds caught out the home defence and Maupay raced onto it to dink over Guaita from the edge of the 18-yard box.