There have been few results so inexplicable in the Premier League this season as Crystal Palace snatching victory from the jaws of more mediocrity at Brighton.
From an Andros Townsend cross, Christian Benteke’s first-time finish into the bottom corner was just the visitors’ second attempt on target all night.
It prompted expressions of disbelief from both Graham Potter and Roy Hodgson, two managers who, having been pitted against one another as unlikely adversaries, might have more in common than their shared background coaching in Sweden.
Brighton, for all the plaudits Potter has earned with impressive wins over Tottenham and Liverpool in the last month, have their flaws going forward.
They have the worst record in the league for shooting accuracy and only Burnley – plus the teams in the relegation zone – have scored fewer goals than them in the Premier League. Top scorer Neal Maupay has not scored at The Amex this season.
The Seagulls had largely been finding ways to procure points, nonetheless, with Joel Veltman slicing in his first Brighton goal to equalise. Palace had opened the scoring against the run of play through January signing Jean-Philippe Mateta, whose crafty back-heel rewarded the relentless steam of Jordan Ayew down the right flank after a searching ball from Cheikhou Kouyaté.
That was a rare moment of invention from a Palace seem who too often seem to have accepted their lot.
With no set date for Wilfried Zaha’s return after he suffered a hamstring injury against Newcastle, Hodgson admitted he was aware of the damning statistics surrounding the Eagles’ form without the Ivorian.
“We can’t win without him we’re told and people produce facts to document that,” Hodgson said before the game.
“But we have to at times and sometimes in those periods we don’t get the results we want.”
Mateta’s goal ended a run of five Premier League games in which Palace had failed to score without Zaha. In fact, they had not previously found the back of the net without him all season. Many supporters were not exactly overwhelmed with excitement at Mateta’s signing, but perhaps he will buck a trend of Palace strikers who rarely seem to actually score a goal.
Even Benteke, the hero of the hour, has just four in the league this term. Michy Batshuayi, like his compatriot, was dropped to the bench with a tally of just one.
Eberechi Eze, who has at times been exhilarating since his move from QPR, struggled to make an impact, while Luka Milivojević made a series of poor decisions with the ball, giving the ball away near his own box on more than one occasion.
Across two matches against Brighton this season, that might explain why Hodgson’s side have mustered a total of four attempts at goal.
The former England manager has spent the week batting off criticism after consecutive defeats to Leeds and Burnley and more pelters would no doubt have been coming his way after what was, barring the last few seconds, a largely unenjoyable evening for Palace fans.
If Zaha is their inspiration, so be it. While he remains out, Hodgson can’t afford to accept that these are the limits of his side’s capabilities.
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