Key events
That’s me done. I’m off for a tea and a mince pie. Thanks for reading and for your emails. Until next time!
Match report
Ed Aarons was at Selhurst Park.
This is where that result leaves the two teams.
Full-time: Crystal Palace 1-1 Brighton
All square. Palace breathe a sigh of relief.
94 min: Palace have 11 players behind the ball, hanging on for their point.
92 min: After 10 minutes of clumsy play, Palace regain a bit of composure and enjoy a bit of much-needed possession. Dunk does well to see off Olise after a dangerous through ball.
90 min: Five minutes added on at an anxious Selhurst Park.
89 min: Twice Brighton go close! João Pedro has a goalbound shot blocked by Andersen on the edge of Palace’s box, before another (bizarre) chance for Brighton. Henderson comes out to clear a looping through ball, but the home keeper punches the ball against the head of the onrushing Welbeck. The ball cannons off Welbeck’s face, and rolls tantalisingly wide of the open Palace goal.
87 min: Guehi is a lucky boy. The England centre back attempted to shepherd the ball out of play but it didn’t have the required pace to go out for a goal kick. Moder steps in to nick the ball but is adjudged to have fouled the Palace defender! Never a foul. Moder won the ball fairly inside the area, and Brighton nearly had tap in!
85 min: Mitoma is withdrawn, injured. He got a knock in that penalty box tangle a few minutes ago. Moder comes on for Brighton.
84 min: Eze has had a couple of chances since coming on, but it’s Brighton that look much more likely to nick a winner now.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 1-1 Brighton (Welbeck 82)
A goal out of nothing! Gross sends a hopeful ball into the box. Welbeck, standing on the penalty spot, is well marked by Richards but the former England striker loops a header into the top corner. He had no right to do that from where he was. But Henderson couldn’t reach it! Postage stamp stuff.
80 min: Mitoma goes down in the box. Brighton claim for a penalty, but it looked more like the Japanese winger lost his balance and crumpled in a heap. Mitoma does look hurt though. He’s limping.
77 min: Apparently buoyed by my words of encouragement, Mateta deliciously drops a shoulder to send Dunk to the shops, drives forward. Palace have a man over, and it’s Eze! But the Palace man cuts back inside, allowing Van Hecke to recover, and the Brighton defender makes a magnificent block!
75 min: Palace fans, is Mateta really good? I know he’s a bit good, but is he really good? Because he’s well again this evening.
73 min: Lallana comes on for Hinshelwood.
70 min: “So much has been written about De Zerbi’s cutting edge style of play, however I see an experienced Mr Hodgson is doing just fine. Reminds me of a line from the Bible: there is nothing new under the sun.”
Hodgson, feeling presumably enlightened, brings on Eze for Jordan Ayew.
Re the above tweet, can I just flag how much I despise this habit of clubs/pundits/journalists/anyone (save perhaps for fans) referring to players by just their first names.
69 min: Palace clinging on here a bit. More mayhem in the box as Henderson comes from a cross, flaps a bit, loses the ball to a scrum of bodies, before said scrum blocks a shot from Van Hecke. Brighton getting closer.
67 min: Another chance for the visitors! Gross gets to the byline, flashes a low cross across the Palace goal but Hinshelwood skews his finish into the stand! A terrible finish. It’s true the young right back was under pressure but he really should have hit the target. And he knows it.
65 min: Back come Brighton. They are the dominant side now. Buonanotte and Gilmour both pepper the Palace goal, with the latter drawing an excellent save from Henderson, down low to his left.
63 min: Only Liverpool have earned more points from losing positions this season than Brighton (12).
61 min: This game is there for both sides. Buonanotte has looked lively since coming on, and fed Mitoma nicely a couple of minutes ago, but the Japanese’s shot was a weak one.
59 min: Palace make a sub: Ozoh on for Hughes, who had been booked. A huge cheer goes up from the home side. Ozoh is very popular and made a good impression against City last time out.
57 min: Another booking. Igor the latest to be cautioned after clipping Olise.
55 min: Brighton really heating up now. This game has come to life. The vistors move forward with all the guile and finesse of Alan Pardew at a south London disco, slick football that ends with Welbeck backheeling to Hinshelwood. The teenager goes down in the box, but replays show that he scuffed his shot rather than being fouled. Brighton protest but VAR waves play on.
53 min: Another yellow for Palace, as Mitchell and Richards sandwich Buonanotte to stop another dangerous counter-attack. From the free-kick, Brighton have their best chance of the match! Dunk rises above Andersen but plants his header just a few inches wide of the far post! Henderson was rooted to the spot!
51 min: Mateta outmuscles Dunk, which is quite the achievement, and nearly beats Verbruggen to a bouncing ball. The Brighton keeper gets something to block Mateta’s toe-poke and is fortunate to collect the rebound. Verbruggen nearly slid out of his box!
50 min: From a Brighton corner, Welbeck heads at goal but Ayew gets in the way. He didn’t know much about it! You wouldn’t call it a goal-line clearance but that was definitely an important block!
49 min: Yellow for Hughes, who catches Gross in midfield when Brighton were breaking dangerously. A cynical one.
47 min: Palace start the stronger. A corner is cleared and then the home side have a penalty shout as Gross holds onto Hughes in the box. It’s probably clever defending, rather than a foul. Not what the home fans think, of course.
Peeeeeeep! We’re off against at Selhurst Park.
De Zerbi makes two changes at half-time. The Brighton manager is not messing around.
Welbeck and Buonanotte are on. Adingra and Baleba off.
Have to say that Adingra had absolutely no joy against Mitchell in the right half. Defensive masterclass from the Palace left back.
Half-time reading. No Palace players, unfortunately but one Brighton player features on our list. Click to find out who.
Half-time: Crystal Palace 1-0 Brighton
Just Ayew’s second goal of the season. He’s not prolific, but Palace fans really rate the Ghanaian, and have another reason to love him here.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 1-0 Brighton (Ayew 45)
Palace are ahead! Verbruggen loses the ball, Hughes and Olise pounce on the loose ball and the latter puts in a beautiful cross to the back post. Brighton, having lost the ball in their area, are all at sea defensively, scrambling to get back. Ayew ghosts in and has a simple header at the back post. The home side lead!
41 min: An important update. Pascal Gross is very, very good. He just always picks the right pass. Such a clever player, you can see why he is in the Germany squad these days. For Brighton he sort of operates as an inverted De Bruyne, in the deep half spaces on the left wing, firing inswinging crosses towards the back post, just as De Bruyne does from the right flank.
