Solly March scored the only goal of the game to help Brighton produce one of the narrow football scores of the weekend in the Premier League. The drama began before the ball was kicked, as Crystal Palace No. 1 Vicente Guaita was ruled out due to injury and replaced by 19-year-old academy goalkeeper Joe Whitworth. But the kid performed admirably, albeit he should have done better for Brighton’s opening goal in the 15th minute. Crystal Palace had controlled until that time, breaking their streak of three Premier League games without a shot on goal, but a magnificent Kaoru Mitoma passes found March, whose hard shot touched Whitworth’s fingertips before finding the bottom corner.
With two late challenges from Cheick Doucoure deserving of a second yellow card, the Eagles should have finished the first half with 10 players. But none were granted by referee Peter Bankes, compounding Brighton’s irritation in this game after a goal was incorrectly ruled out by VAR at Selhurst Park just over a month ago. Brighton dominated possession for much of the game, despite a minor power outage at the opening of the second half, but lacked a cutting edge in the final third to find a second. Yet, the hard-fought victory brings Brighton closer to the European places. They are now two points and two positions ahead of Newcastle in fifth place, and six points clear of the Champions League places.
Crystal Palace started strongly at the Amex, ultimately registering their first efforts on goal when Odsonne Edouard fired wide inside two minutes, before heading just past the post shortly after. Jason Steele, who has recently been chosen over Robert Sanchez, was then forced to make a great save as Michael Olise was sent through into the 18-yard box. The subsequent shot was saved by the Brighton goalkeeper due to his wide stance. Brighton, on the other hand, taught their opponents a lesson in clinical play by taking the lead against the run of play in the 15th minute. Mitoma’s imaginative pass sent March through, who spotted himself ahead of Marc Guehi. Whitworth was then defeated by a low, powerful shot.
Crystal Palace had opportunities to equalize. Steele produced another excellent stop, this time denying Edouard, who was in on goal. Next, after a stunning Olise free-kick, Joachim Andersen nodded wide. Therefore, Crystal Palace should have finished the first half with 10 players. Doucoure, who had recently served a suspension, fouled Joel Veltman in the 27th minute and was awarded a yellow card. However, late first-half challenges on Moises Caicedo and Veltman went unpunished, despite being considerably stronger than the initial booking. Doucoure was replaced at halftime by Eberechi Eze, which came as no surprise. Brighton put Whitworth to the test early on, thanks to some nice play down the left flank by Alexis Mac Allister and Pervis Estupinan.
After a brief halt due to a power outage, the Crystal Palace teen performed another spectacular stop. Mac Allister nodded on a corner, but the goalie deflected the effort with a strong hand. Crystal Palace battled for an equaliser after the previous three Premier League meetings ended 1-1 and had a wonderful chance in the fourth of nine added minutes. A bad back pass by Pascal Gross and Steele allowed Eze to nip in and pass to Naouirou Ahamada. Unfortunately, the French teenager’s shot was wide.
After receiving his fourth yellow card of the season against Crystal Palace for arguing with referees when Moises Caicedo was booked, Roberto De Zerbi will serve another one-match touchline ban. De Zerbi has previously received yellow cards against Aston Villa, Leicester City, and Brentford. He was also issued a red card in the tunnel after arguing with Darren England during Brighton’s 1-0 loss to Fulham last month, earning him a one-game suspension.
“The referee must show (Cheick) Doucoure a yellow card rather than me. Because they were the same foul and Moises’ was a yellow card, of course, 100%, like Doucoure, but Doucoure was ended in the game with another yellow card,” Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi said. “If the infraction is apparent, the rules are clear in football, and if you want to stay in the Premier League as a coach, a player, a referee, or a manager, you must demonstrate personality. Another time is presently in the stands. It doesn’t matter whether I like it or not; the issue is that I didn’t deserve it because the fault was the referee’s, not mine.”
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