Key events
Guessand noises up the away end as Palace celebrate; Brighton now have one win in 12, and are surely out of the running for European qualification through the league.
Let’s hope our third match of the day is better than the second. Michael Butler will tell you what’s what.
FULL-TIME: Brighton & Hove Albion 0-1 Crystal Palace
Palace’s first win in 11, taking them nine points clear of the relegation zone, celebrated by Dean Henderson in typically understated manner.
90+5 min Glen Murray does the only thing you can do when dealt a match this completely devoid of quality, and gives POTM to the goalscorer, Ismaila Sarr.
90+5 min Nice from Strand Larsen who, on the turn, flips a pass out wide to Munoz before heading for the box and, when the low cross comes, he redirects goalwards, but Verbruggen makes a decent save.
90+4 min Is it just me who puts on their best The Killing voice to say “Jorgen Strand Larsen” in the style of “Nanna Birk Larsen”? Er, oh.
90+2 min Minteh puts the ball into space and dashes at Munoz, who blocks him off, doing well to avoid a second booking … and the resultant free-kick is cleared easily.
90+1 min We’ll have six additional minutes.
90 min Strand Larsen takes a ball from Guessand, holds up, and buys a foul from Boscagli. He’s been more effective in the second half, without doing anything brilliant.
88 min Another change for Palace, Sarr off and Johnson on.
87 min :”here are two things keeping me on the edge of my seat during this match,” says Justin Madson. “Theories on Baleba’s decline and the Bad Boyes connection. As I write this the latter has been revealed, so I await theories on the Baleba situation with great anticipation.”
It’s easy to speculate that mentally, Baleba checked out of Brighton when he thought he might be leaving, bur he’s had months to adapt to that reality, and what’s odd is the stuff that got that offer made – the dynamic ball-carrying – he’s barely attempting.
85 min On which point, does Chris Richards call his mate La-cwa or Lac-roi? Back on the pitch, Larsen hauls back O’Riley and is booked, then Gomez is booked for a foul but I missed upon whom.
84 min A foul from Guessand allows Brighton a free-kick, 45 yards out, right of centre; Gross clips in, Lacroix heads out.
82 min Gareth Barry’s Premier League appearance record won’t be equalled today: Brighton send on Hinshelwood and O’Riley for Rutter and Kastoulas, meaning Milner must remain on the bench.
81 min Er, no, Strand Larsen heads away at the front post.
80 min Munoz is booked for something, I didn’t quite see what, then Mitoma wins a corner down the left. Can Gross get the delivery right?
78 min While that’s going on, we see the goal again, and this time it strikes me as exactly the kind of chance Mateta thwacks, via hard sidefooter, directly into the keeper’s shins. On the other hand, Sarr is a really good one-on-one finisher and never looked likely to miss the opportunity he’d been waiting for through an hour of tedium.
77 min Boscagli bursts forwards and Strand Larsen extends a leg, catching him a right sair yin on the knee. He stops down for treatment, but should be fine.
76 min Changer for Palace, Kamada returning after a couple of months out injured, replacing Hughes.
75 min “That was a fun bit of googling,” writes Andy. “Paul Kember, who played the titular character, was the son of Steve Kember, who played for Palace.”
There it is.
74 min This time the corner reaches Strand Larse at the near post, but he gets too much of it, directing a header wide.
73 min A poor pass backwards from Mitoma and Strand Larsen seizes upon it, bursting through the middle but, forced right, can only shoot into Verbruggen’s legs. The corner yields another.
71 min Brighton have no shortage of attackers on the park now, and will surely look to feed Minteh to get the ball into Welbeck and Katosulas. He’s on the right, but Rutter, looking to find him, is robbed by Guessand, who’s made a decent impact since coming on for Pino.
70 min Changes for Brighton: off goes Baleba, again, along with De Cuyper and Howell; on come Gomez, Welbeck and Minteh.
69 min Brighton are really struggling to create. They need more bodies in the box, and a lot more quality with their delivery. Meantime, though, Wharton floats through midfield, spreads the play, takes the ball back … and crosses into touch beyond the back post.
68 min Kadioglu into Gross who flicks in behind … and Rutter doesn’t read him.
67 min Palace win a corner and aim for penalty spot, Lerma up … and heading over the bar.
65 min Better from Brighton, De Cuyper winning a 50-50 and feeding into Mitoma, who moves on to Rutter, who turns around the corner and, at inside-left, Kastoulas is away! Cutting infield towards goal, he clearly doesn’t trust his pace or his left foot, opening body and shooting early, far too close to Henderson, who makes a decent save with his shin.
63 min The goal came with Palace’s first shot on target. I’d not be shocked to see them get another on the counter.
GOAL! Brighton & Hove Albion 0-1 Crystal Palace (Sarr 61)
He loves this fixture! A hopeful ball lumped forward by Hughes, headed away weakly by Dunk and, 40 yards out, Guessand collects and suddenly Sarr, outside him, is a pass way from being in! It duly arrives into his stride, he moves into the box, composes, and, as Verbruggen dives, sweeps a finish high into the middle of the net! How crucial will that goal prove to be?!
61 min Lerma is late again, this time on Gross, but escapes a card; lucky boy.
59 min Rutter fould Hughes, who then floats the resultant free-kick towards the back post. Guessand tries to knock back across but Mitoma breaks clear with the ball, so Lerma brings him down.
58 min It surely won’t be long before Hurzeler tries Danny Welbeck. I’d like to see Kastoulas stay on to play off him, though, with perhaps Rutter getting hooked.
57 min Palace win a throw 30 yards out, Richards again goes long, and Howell heads away. It’s all-action now!
56 min Change for Palace: Guessand comes on for his Palace debut, replacing the disappointing Pino.
54 min Brighton try and bait Palace in, only to lose the ball when they lose patience. They’re the side dictating now, though, Palace sitting off and hoping for a counter. In the meantime, Baleba floats a nice-looking ball over the top looking to meet the run of Mitoma, but Henderson runs out to claim.
52 min Mitoma into Rutter who looks to spin, but his touch is poor, again, and another attack expires. This might well be the worst game I’ve seen this season.
51 min Dunk hits a long diag for Mitoma, scurrying from out to in, he chests down, and the ball runs away back to Henderson. Oh this is good stuff.
50 min Baleba finds Rutter, who loose touch allows Munoz to spring into action, racing down the right before measuring a cross directly into Verbruggen’s gloves.
49 min Kosloulas out to Gross, whose cross is cleared; Palace counter downfield and Dunk slides in to rob Strand Larsen. This is the best I have for you, I’m afraid.
48 min Howell tries to barge by Lacroix, who sons him off with a shoulder into touch.
46 min Brighton are on to the attack – such as it is – immediately, pushing forward only to be easily repelled.
46 min Off we go again…
Back come our teams…
