Brighton saved by late blunder
Andersen own goal denies Palace
SHORTLY before half-time, smoke began billowing from the goal of Jack Butland. A flare had been thrown by Crystal Palace supporters in a desperate attempt to keep Brighton at bay.
In the latest instalment of this curious rivalry, Palace were already teetering by the time they conceded a penalty and their fans sent for the pyrotechnics.
But they need not have worried. Butland cleared the flare and then saved the spot-kick. It was a few seconds that summed up his night. Brighton should have won this at a canter. Instead they had to make do with a point.
Conor Gallagher’s second-half goal looked to have secured Palace a grand heist. In their delirium those same fans sent down another flare.
But soon three points went up in smoke as Butland’s resistance was broken, team-mate Joachim Andersen turning the ball into his own net three minutes from time.
Butland has been in the spotlight throughout the recent absence of regular keeper Vicente Guaita, that glare only growing brighter last weekend when he gifted Millwall an FA Cup goal.
Last night, however, his was the name that echoed around the away end towards the end of a first half in which the goalkeeper had been all that stood between Brighton and a comfortable lead.
This game came to the boil during a bonkers six minutes in which the Amex spent more time waiting for the verdict of VAR than watching any football. Yet still the two teams managed to squeeze in a penalty and disallowed goal.
Butland was at the heart of both and he was Brighton’s scourge earlier on, too, when Marc Cucurella sent Leandro Trossard through on goal, only for his shot to bounce off Butland.
It was a fine save and that proved the closest either side came to a breakthrough until Stuart Attwell spotted something from Stockley Park that had eluded almost everyone inside the ground.
From a Brighton corner, Will Hughes tugged Joel Veltman to the floor inside the area. After a glance at his monitor, referee Robert Jones said penalty and Butland was called upon. He was first to fetch that flare and then to keep out Pascal Gross’ effort.
His work was not done there. From the resulting corner, Dan Burn sent a header towards goal. Butland gathered the ball and, in the process, dived into the onrushing Neal Maupay. The ball hit Maupay, came out of the keeper’s hands and tumbled into thenet. Brighton were cock-a-hoop until Attwell intervened once more. Again, he was probably right to.
So Palace somehow headed into the break level. Patrick Vieira’s side had been thoroughly outplayed.
Palace used another of their nine lives immediately after the restart when Gross drove to the byline and pulled the ball back to Jakub Moder, whose curling effort clipped Butland’s crossbar.
By then, the Amex’s resident cynics had begun to voice their sense that this might not be their night. Can you blame them?
Their only solace then was that, when Palace did eventually create something of note, Robert Sanchez was not caught cold in the Brighton goal. Instead he got down to keep out Odsonne Edouard’s low effort.
Almost immediately, normal service was resumed when Butland needed a strong hand to deny Moder again. Alas, those Brighton fears were eventually realised.
After Jeffrey Schlupp did brilliantly to hook the ball back towards Gallagher from the byline, the midfielder made no mistake.
Palace should have known a twist would come. The only surprise? It came before injury time.
Each of these sides’ last three meetings had produced an injurytime goal. Last night, though, Brighton levelled three minutes from time.