Robert Sanchez had a howler as Crystal Palace produced one of the close football scores of the weekend in the Premier League. Brighton came to Selhurst Park determined to keep up their improbable bid for a Champions League spot, and according to Roberto De Zerbi, they should have won all three points after dominating their opponents. Midway through the second half, Solly March finally gave De Zerbi’s strong team the lead. However, the lead only lasted six minutes as James Tomkins quickly equalized after Sanchez dropped a cross while under no pressure. Palace escaped a fourth loss in six Premier League games thanks to the defender’s goal, but Patrick Vieira’s club has only earned three points during that span, and their lackluster performance leaves them just seven points above the relegation zone.
The timing of Brighton’s trip to the home of their biggest rivals to try to snap a four-year losing streak in the match surely couldn’t have been better. Vicente Guaita had to make two excellent saves from returning Alexis Mac Allister as Palace, which has only triumphed once in all competitions since November 6, got off to a slow start. The Argentine World Cup champion joined Moises Caicedo and Pascal Gross in a midfield three to help Brighton dominate the match in an impressive manner. However, they were still scoreless at the break as Guaita blocked Kaoru Mitoma from scoring his sixth goal in nine games and Pervis Estupinan’s looping effort was disallowed for offside.
Although Adam Webster made two outstanding blocks to stop Jean-Philippe Mateta throughout the first period, Palace was not completely without threat. Brighton did, however, finally score in the 63rd minute when March snuck in to volley past Guaita after Estupinan’s stunning right-wing cross took Tyrick Mitchell off guard. The Palace supporters started to complain about Brighton’s continued dominance, but when Tomkins pounced on Sanchez’s mistake, their annoyance quickly transformed to joy. Only one club had a chance to score a tying goal in stoppage time, but Brighton proved wasteful in front of goal. Mac Allister misdirected a free header and then volleyed straight at Guaita as Palace barely held on.
“We are annoyed. We regret dropping two points. Because Brighton played one of the best games I’ve ever seen, there was just one team on the field,” Brighton head coach Roberto De Zerbi said. “But this is how football is. Despite having numerous scoring opportunities, you only need one cross to give up a goal. It is not a concern. He plays a crucial role for us. He made a mistake today, sure, but other players also made errors when we had the chance to score.”
“With a point, I’m content. The game was, in my opinion, really difficult for us. Today’s Brighton was fantastic, in my opinion. We needed to be more disciplined and organized to prevent them from having the space they needed to express themselves,” he added. “I’m particularly pleased with the structure and discipline we displayed today, which allowed us to participate in the game. I’m thrilled with the point I made today. You must acknowledge the caliber of the club we played against today. Winning the derby game is essential for us and the supporters. I can see how their manager may be irritated given all the opportunities they generated.”
“It’s commonly believed that top goalies can distinguish themselves by being focused even when there isn’t much to do. At Selhurst Park, Sanchez significantly missed the mark in that regard. Brighton’s domination against Palace was demonstrated by the Spaniard’s lack of saves, but his clanger gave Palace an unfair point,” Joe Shread said after the game. “Of all, a goalkeeper’s job no longer just entails making saves, and Sanchez is an essential component of Brighton’s offensive strategy because of his dexterity with the ball in his feet. In south London, he astonishingly completed every pass he attempted, and his total of 27 successful passes exceeded the total of every Palace player. However, he was unsuccessful in keeping the ball out of the goal, which denied Brighton the three points they so richly deserved.”
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