Nine-Man Crystal Palace Triumphs Over Brighton to Complete Rare Double

This has been a very, very long time coming for Crystal Palace supporters. The last time they were able to celebrate doing the double over Brighton in the 1932-3 season in the old Division Three South, the two clubs weren’t even rivals, and it would be another 14 years before Roy Hodgson was born.

But with an FA Cup semi-final against Aston Villa to come later this month, Daniel Muñoz’s winner at the start of the second half made it another memorable afternoon for Oliver Glasner’s side after Danny Welbeck had cancelled out Jean-Philippe Mateta’s 13th Premier League goal of the season. Not even late red cards for Eddie Nketiah and captain Marc Guéhi could dampen the celebrations in south London as Palace moved to within four points of Fabian Hürzeler’s side with a game in hand.

Brighton, who have now lost three times in the space of seven days and also had Jan Paul van Hecke sent off in a bad-tempered finish to the game as Yasin Ayari was denied a late equaliser by the outstanding Dean Henderson, can see their opportunity of qualifying for Europe again slipping away.
There was a carnival atmosphere before kick-off in the sunshine in south London for Palace’s first game since sealing a place in the last four of the FA Cup. Barely 10 seconds had passed when the home fans reminded their arch-rivals that they are the ones heading to Wembley later this month and not Brighton.

Hürzeler had attempted to fire up his players beforehand by acknowledging that they “didn’t give the fans what they deserved” in the 3-1 home defeat by Palace back in December. But he looked on in disbelief as they made an awful start that immediately handed the initiative to their opponents. The captain, Lewis Dunk, was guilty of playing a sloppy back pass to Bart Verbruggen that he had no option but to kick out of play, with Mateta firing just wide from the resulting throw-in.

Less than a minute later, the hosts were ahead as the Frenchman received the ball from Eberechi Eze on the edge of the area after a strong run from Guéhi before leaving Verbruggen with no chance with a left-footed shot that took a slight deflection on its way in. Goalkeeper Dean Henderson has been one of Palace’s standout performers this season and, with Thomas Tuchel watching from the stands, showed why he must be breathing down Jordan Pickford’s neck in the England pecking order with contributions at both ends. First, it was his long pass that was controlled effortlessly by Eze before forcing Verbruggen to tip his shot around the post. Then the former Manchester United keeper produced a stunning double save to keep out efforts from Carlos Baleba and Welbeck on the follow-up.

It was a warning that Palace did not heed. Brighton had slowly been gaining a foothold in midfield, and when Matt O’Riley pinched the ball off Eze, it was worked wide to Yankuba Minteh and Welbeck, who is now Brighton’s highest scorer in the Premier League with 31 – found space at the back post to tap home his superb cross.

The last five of these fixtures at Selhurst Park had ended 1-1, and another would have set a new record for the longest sequence of the same result in Premier League history. So it was something of a surprise when Palace went back in front 10 minutes after half-time when a driving run from Eze played in Muñoz. His shot took the slightest of deflections off Pervis Estupiñán’s backside and flew into the net.

A crunching tackle from Guéhi on Van Hecke that earned the Palace captain his first booking received almost as big a cheer as the goal. Nketiah should have had a penalty when he burst into the box less than 60 seconds after coming off the bench for Mateta and seemed to be caught by Estupiñán’s trailing leg, but the referee, Anthony Taylor, instead showed him a yellow card for diving. Things went from bad to worse for Nketiah when he was shown a second yellow 10 minutes later, which perhaps could have been worthy of a straight red after catching Van Hecke with a high boot.

Guéhi was also shown a second yellow after he badly mistimed a tackle on Brajan Gruda, but Van Hecke’s dismissal in 12 minutes of added time only made things easier for Palace to wrap up their deserved victory. For Crystal Palace supporters, this moment was a long time coming. The last instance they celebrated a double over Brighton was way back in the 1932-33 season, when the two clubs weren’t even rivals, and it would be 14 years later that Roy Hodgson was born.

With an FA Cup semi-final against Aston Villa approaching, Daniel Muñoz’s goal early in the second half added another memorable chapter to Palace’s recent successes. Danny Welbeck had briefly leveled the score after Jean-Philippe Mateta netted his 13th Premier League goal this season, but it didn’t stop the celebrations in south London. Late red cards for Eddie Nketiah and captain Marc Guéhi couldn’t dampen the spirits as Palace closed the gap to Fabian Hürzeler’s Brighton side, now just four points ahead, with a game in hand.

Brighton has struggled lately, losing three matches in a week and also seeing Jan Paul van Hecke sent off in a heated finale. They’ve missed opportunities to secure a spot in Europe once again. Meanwhile, the atmosphere at Selhurst Park was electric, bathed in sunshine as Palace played their first match since advancing to the FA Cup semi-finals. The home fans wasted no time reminding their rivals that they’ll be heading to Wembley, not Brighton.

Hürzeler had attempted to rev up his players before the match, highlighting their disappointing previous encounter with Palace back in December. However, the game began poorly for Brighton, as captain Lewis Dunk’s misplaced back pass set the tone. Palace seized the moment, and just moments later, Mateta found the net with a well-placed shot after connecting with a pass from Eberechi Eze, following a strong run by Guéhi.

Dean Henderson, Palace’s standout goalkeeper, showcased his skills throughout the match. With Thomas Tuchel watching from the stands, Henderson made key contributions at both ends, including a brilliant double save that denied Brighton’s attempts to level the score.

As the match progressed, Brighton started to find their rhythm. After Matt O’Riley intercepted the ball from Eze, they worked it wide to Yankuba Minteh, allowing Welbeck—now Brighton’s all-time leading scorer in the Premier League—to find the net with a well-placed finish.

The last five fixtures at Selhurst Park had all ended in a 1-1 draw; another tie would have set a Premier League record. So, when Palace regained the lead just ten minutes into the second half, it was a pleasant surprise. Eze’s run created space for Muñoz, whose shot took a slight deflection and found its way into the net.

A notable moment came when Guéhi’s crunching tackle on Van Hecke earned him a yellow card—a tackle that the crowd cheered almost as loudly as the goal. Nketiah, who had just come off the bench, looked to have been fouled in the box but was instead shown a yellow card for diving. Things went from bad to worse when he received a second yellow for a high boot on Van Hecke, which might have warranted a straight red.

Guéhi also picked up a second yellow after poorly timing a tackle, but Van Hecke’s dismissal in stoppage time only made it simpler for Palace to secure their well-deserved victory.