Crystal Palace evoked memories of the Roy Hodgson era by taking something away at Brighton on Friday night.
As is so often the case when discussing Graham Potter’s side, Brighton dominated in almost every imaginable metric but could not find their finishing touch.
Jack Butland, who made a mistake during last week’s FA Cup win over Mllwall, kept Palace in the derby with a penalty save from Pascal Gross after VAR had penalised Will Hughes for a foul on Joel Veltman.
Seconds later, Neal Maupay – the man who denied Palace a win back in September – saw his goal ruled out for a foul on the former England shot stopper.
For large periods, Brighton tore through Palace thanks to the intricate passing of both Adam Lallana and Alexis Mac Allister. The final touch, however, proved as elusive as usual.
When Conor Gallagher smashed in from point-blank range after one of only few Palace attacks (which admittedly came as a result of quick passing move), those in the away end erupted while those opposite must have thought they’d seen this film before.
Still, the drama continued in its customary fashion. Brilliant work from Maupay created space in the box and his driven ball caused Joachim Andersen – brilliant up until that point – to put through his own net.
Palace, for all their progress, have a fighting spirit Hodgson would be proud of.
