Maupay devastates Palace at the death
STRIKER RACES THROUGH TO NICK DRAW IN DERBY
N
OT enough gas to reach the top of the table. Just enough to get back to their driveway without the use of thumbs.
It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t a fifth win in six and it didn’t get Brighton up into the thinnest air in the division but it wasn’t a defeat, which owes everything to the latest of interventions from Neal Maupay.
They were given five minutes of stoppage time to turn this game, and four and a half of them had elapsed when he chased down a ball that Joel Veltman had lifted over the top.
What followed was a delight of a lob over Vicente Guaita. What went before had supplied no clues that such effective beauty could be mined from such a weak performance.
No good chances had been made by Brighton and no decent ones, either — just a moderate pursuit of the lead Crystal Palace had held since Wilfried Zaha nailed a penalty at the close of the first half. But what a finish from Maupay and what a way to buck all that. Brilliant stuff.
Except for Palace, of course. They had deserved their advantage and they probably deserved this game. They created more, they played nicer football. But just as Brighton manager Graham Potter has been getting his money’s worth from all scenarios this season, there is a persistent feeling that his opposite number Patrick Vieira has been getting sold a little short.
Palace have played well on his watch, and yet here they are with one win in six. Those proportions ought to change in time, and if Zaha’s form continues its gradual climb, there can be no doubting it will.
But for now it will sting, because they were so close, though evidently this Brighton side take some flooring. Last season, they turned wins to draws and draws to defeats. This season, they go the other way. It is a tale of progress, the sort that might just cause Tottenham some extra regrets after their failed pursuit of Potter in the summer. Granted, Brighton have Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool in their next four fixtures, so reality might come with a hard fall, but if their ambition for this campaign was safety then they already look to be some way down that path.
Potter said: ‘It is a difficult place to play so we are happy with the point. It was a fantastic finish from Neal and a great pass from Joel.
‘We are delighted. It is 13 from six games. Performance-wise we were far from perfect but we still deserved something from the game.
‘What the league says after six games isn’t something we think a lot about. But it is a good start and a good foundation.’
Vieira said: ‘Brutal is the word.
We had a good game and in the second half we had a chance for the second goal, so to concede when we did is brutal. I’m really disappointed for the players.’
Vieira had a right to feel frustrated. He had given a first start to Odsonne Edouard, and his side did all manner of good things with the exception of creating enough chances for the striker or any other element of the frontline staff. Beyond Edouard’s drive directly to Robert Sanchez, and a similar outcome to one from Zaha, their moves prior to the penalty rarely developed into moments of promise.
The spot kick was won by Conor Gallagher after the midfielder skirted one clumsy challenge from Marc Cucurella before then being side-swiped by Leandro Trossard, which gave Zaha an opportunity on his 400th Palace appearance. He sent Robert Sanchez the wrong way for his second goal of the season.
At the break, Potter, whose side suffered for the absence of Yves Bissouma, hooked Dan Burn for Steven Alzate but any tactical wish was undone by the substitute’s injury 20 minutes later. From there, they continued to fall short in the creation of chances, and then came within a fraction of conceding a second to Jordan Ayew.
He hit the side-netting from a one-on-one but still Brighton looked done. And then Maupay got them home, prompting a celebration in front of Zaha and a subsequent row with the forward. ‘Banter,’ Maupay called it.
Fortunate, may have been another word. CRYSTAL PALACE (4-3-3): Guaita 6; Ward 6.5, Andersen 6.5, Guehi 6.5, Mitchell 7; Gallagher 7, Milivojevic 6.5 (Kouyate 72min, 6), McArthur 6.5; Ayew 6 (Schlupp 86), Edouard 6 (Benteke 72, 6), ZAHA 7.5. Scorer: Zaha 45+2 (pen). Booked: Gallagher, McArthur. Manager: Patrick Vieira 7. BRIGHTON (3-4-3): Sanchez 6.5; Duffy 6.5, Dunk 7, Burn 6.5 (Alzate 46, 6; Moder 65, 6); Veltman 6.5, Gross 6, Lallana 6, Cucurella 6; Trossard 6.5, Welbeck 6 (Connolly 76), Maupay 6.5. Scorer: Maupay 90+5. Booked: Lallana, Cucurella, Trossard, Sanchez. Manager: Graham Potter 6. Referee: Andre Marriner 7.