Report & Highlights: Palace held to goalless draw by Brighton

Summary:

• Three changes for Palace from Thursday’s win in Europe: Canvot makes first Premier League start in place of Guéhi, with Wharton and Kamada also starting.
• 4: Sarr drives from deep and plays in Mateta, but his rising drive clears the crossbar.
• 8: Henderson makes a wonderful save to keep out Gómez’s powerful effort.
• 10: Sarr’s curling effort kept out by Verbruggen at full stretch in an electric start in SE25.
• 15: Brighton pile on the pressure from set-pieces as a response, but Henderson deals with them well.
• 35: A scrappier spell envelops the game, with free-kicks and throw-ins the chief sources of chances.
• 45+1: Minteh wastes a glorious opening for Brighton with the final chance of the half.
• HT: Palace 0-0 Brighton
• 46: Henderson springs at full stretch to claw out Wieffer’s diving header.
• 53: Wharton instigates break which culminates in Kamada firing over from close range.
• 63: Brighton are awarded a penalty, but the decision is overturned by VAR.
• 72: Kamada lashes an effort from a tight angle into the side-netting.
• 82: Pino’s side-footed effort is blocked inside the box.
• 90+7: Pino and Lacroix both come close in the final seconds, but it ends goalless.
• FT: Palace 0-0 Brighton

Palace’s frantic fixture run – seven matches in the space of just 22 days – was culminating in arguably the most important of the lot to their supporters: the chance to resume rivalries with Brighton & Hove Albion, whom they had defeated both home and away last season for a historic first time in the top-flight.

Seeking a fourth win in a row in all competitions, Palace boss Oliver Glasner made three adjustments to his starting XI, with captain Marc Guéhi absent from the matchday squad. That meant a first Premier League start for 19-year-old Jaydee Canvot in defence, with Dean Henderson taking the armband for the game. Adam Wharton and Daichi Kamada returned to the side in midfield.

A moment of silence and the Last Post was impeccably observed ahead of kick-off, as players and supporters collectively came together to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Then, once proceedings got underway, the first quarter-of-an-hour was played at full pelt – with both goalkeepers starring in the early stages.

The first opportunity arrived courtesy of two players well and truly in-form, as Ismaïla Sarr – fresh from his midweek brace against AZ Alkmaar – collected the ball in a deep position and drove fearlessly at the Brighton backline, playing in Jean-Philippe Mateta on the right-hand side of the box.

From a difficult angle, the Frenchman – taking on his man as he entered the box – looked up and went for power at the near post, but blazed his shot beyond Bart Verbruggen’s crossbar.

Almost instantly up the other end, Brighton responded with a spell of possession around the Palace box – and one which, after a corner kick was only half-cleared, ended in Dean Henderson making a spectacular flying save to spring high to his right and turn away Diego Gómez’s outside-of-the-boot volley from a dropping ball.

Two minutes later, Palace were denied by a wonder-save from Brighton’s own shot-stopper. Mateta’s set for Sarr on the edge of the box was perfectly weighted, and his side-footed strike firm and well-directed – it was impressive, therefore, how sharply the Dutch ‘keeper reacted to turn it away with his left hand.

After such an early flurry of chances – a truly end-to-end contest – the half admittedly slowed down into a scrappier, combative affair, with play often broken up by fouls amidst a febrile atmosphere.

Free-kicks and long throws looked both sides most promising route to goal in the remainder of the half, with Jefferson Lerma’s launches a particular feature for Palace, and deliveries into a crowded six-yard box a clear tactic for Brighton – with Henderson responding well.

Clear chances as a result were at a premium, but there was one for Brighton on the stroke of half-time after a Palace set-piece was cleared.

The visitors broke at pace and had an overload on the right-hand side but when Danny Welbeck slipped in Yankuba Minteh, the forward – on his weaker left foot – placed a poor-quality shot into the side-netting.

Heading into the second-half, the same player created a decent opportunity within seconds of the restart. Minteh’s hanging, in-swinging cross found his opposite winger Mats Wieffer sneaking in at the back post.

The Dutchman stooped to head it goalwards, but in doing so, took all the pace off the delivery – it still required Henderson, at full stretch, to spring athletically across goal and prevent the ball from sneaking in.

On 53 minutes, Palace’s best chance of the game arrived – and it fell to Daichi Kamada.

When Wharton picked Carlos Baleba’s pocket near the Brighton box, Palace had a spare man making the overlapping run – Sarr. After the ball initially got caught between his feet, Sarr danced past Lewis Dunk in the box and crossed hard and low. It reached Kamada who – with a sea of bodies between him and the goalmouth – took a touch to steady himself, but leaning back and on his less-preferred left foot, could only fire over.

Both managers subsequently introduced fresh legs in a bid to find momentum in a match largely short of it, but there was a brief flashpoint when Georginio Rutter dribbled into the box and – falling between Tyrick Mitchell, Canvot and Wharton – went over.

Referee Tim Robinson at first awarded a penalty, with the assistance of VAR, subsequently ruled that the initial contact had been instigated by the Brighton No. 10, awarding him a yellow card for simulation.

Chances continued to prove few and far between at Selhurst, although Kamada did get much of the ground mistakenly cheering with a rising drive which rippled the side-netting, and substitute Yéremy Pino did have one half-chance blocked inside the box after good approach play involving Sarr and Mitchell.

It wasn’t until the final minute of seven in stoppage time that Palace created another chance, but both were difficult – Pino’s instinctive near post effort was superbly saved by Verbruggen, and Lacroix’s flying header from the subsequent corner cleared the crossbar.

Nevertheless, a point to extend the Eagles’ long-unbeaten run – and keep Glasner’s side in the top half of the table heading into the November international break – had been well-earned.

Palace: Henderson (GK), Canvot, Lacroix, Richards, Muñoz, Wharton (Pino, 66), Lerma, Mitchell, Sarr, Kamada (Hughes, 83), Mateta.

Subs: Benítez (GK), Matthews (GK), Clyne, Sosa, Devenny, Esse, Uche.

Brighton: Verbruggen (GK), Wieffer, Van Hecke, Dunk, Kadioglu, Baleba (Veltman, 75), Ayari, Minteh, Rutter (Kostoulas, 75), Gomez (De Cuyper, 85), Welbeck (Tzimas, 85).

Subs: Steele (GK), Boscagli, Coppola, Knight, Oriola.

As It Happened