Wilfried Zaha has revealed how he felt "overjoyed" to grab a stunning equaliser for Crystal Palace to continue his fine run of scoring form against rivals Brighton.
Palace, who were missing five defenders for the M23 derby clash at Selhurst Park, were outplayed in a one-sided first half and failed to register a shot for the first time at home in six years.
But the Eagles came to life in the final 20 minutes and it was Zaha's piece of brilliance that salvaged a late point, thundering an effort into the top corner past goalkeeper Mathew Ryan.
When asked about his goal, the 27-year-old admitted his strike - his sixth overall against the Seagulls - was one of his most important of his career.
"I was so overjoyed, I'm just glad we did it for the team," Zaha told Sky Sports.
"We worked so hard and we've got a good run going. Each goal is massive, over time there's been more important goals but every goal I can get is important."
Brighton had taken the lead through Neal Maupay and missed a host of chances before being pegged back, and could have easily have lost late on as Palace pushed forward.
Zaha admitted their first-half display was poor but felt they earned a point after their turnaround.
"We knew that today was a big game for both teams," he added. "I'm just glad we got back in it really. If you can't win, don't lose.
"We barely had the ball in the first half and we didn't do anything with it. Props to them [the defenders] because they did their jobs well and we had to do something with the ball second half."
Palace are now up to ninth - above struggling Arsenal in the Premier League table - before their trip to face Newcastle United on Saturday.
