Crystal Palace finally found the win that had been hiding from them for weeks, pinching the M23 derby 1-0 at Brighton thanks to Ismaïla Sarr’s second-half strike and a cool-headed shift that grew louder with every frustrated groan from the home stands.
It was a derby that crackled around the edges, all noise and nerves, but took its time to deliver anything resembling clarity on the pitch. Brighton had the ball for long spells, circulating possession with the familiar patience, yet without the incision to turn dominance into danger. Palace, by contrast, looked content to keep the game on a short leash, waiting for the moment the door was left on the latch.
The first half drifted along in that tense, cagey way these fixtures sometimes do, where the atmosphere promises fireworks and the football offers smoke. Lewis Dunk glanced a free-kick wide for Brighton, and Maxim De Cuyper’s drive was bravely blocked as Palace bodies threw themselves in the way. At the other end, the visitors carried a low, constant threat, particularly from set pieces and direct moments into the channels, with Chris Richards’ long throws asking awkward questions and Sarr slicing one chance wide as the interval approached.
Brighton’s team selection spoke of both trust and urgency. Fabian Hürzeler handed 17-year-old Harry Howell his first Premier League start, a bold call in a game that never really let the youngster breathe. But the bigger issue for the Seagulls wasn’t age, it was edge. They could get to the final third, but not through it.
Palace’s breakthrough arrived just after the hour, and it came with the stamp of instant impact. Substitute Evann Guessand, on for his debut, pounced on a loose Dunk header and slipped Sarr in behind. The winger had time, took it, and finished with the composure Brighton lacked, guiding the ball beyond Bart Verbruggen to tilt the derby Palace’s way in the 61st minute.
Brighton briefly threatened a quick response, but Dean Henderson stood firm, most notably when he denied Charalampos Kostoulas with a sharp save using his legs. Hürzeler reacted with a triple change in the 71st minute, throwing on fresh attackers in search of a spark, yet the shift didn’t ignite the stadium so much as inflame it. The noise turned, boos and angry chants rolling down from the seats as the minutes drained away and the equaliser refused to materialise.
Palace, meanwhile, looked more comfortable as the game wore on. Jørgen Strand Larsen, a club-record signing making his first appearance, offered a focal point and twice threatened to make it 2-0 late on. But Palace didn’t need a second. They needed a win, and they protected it with the kind of discipline that travels well.
By full-time, the contrast was stark. Brighton had the ball, but Palace had the points and the bragging rights. The result lifts Palace above their rivals in the table and moves them further clear of trouble, while Brighton’s run continues to sour, the mood around the Amex growing more brittle with each week that ends without a convincing answer.
Brighton finished with 63.4% possession but managed seven total shots and only two on target. Palace matched them for attempts with seven of their own, hit four on target, and shaded the corner count 4-3, with three yellow cards to Brighton’s one.
