Crystal Palace Prevails Over Brighton in Fiery Clash Marked by Three Red Cards

Crystal Palace emerged victorious in the M23 derby, securing a gritty 2-1 triumph over Brighton & Hove Albion at Selhurst Park, a match that saw three red cards issued.

The Seagulls’ lengthy journey of nearly 50 miles took an early detour as Bart Verbruggen was forced to retrieve the ball from his net within just five minutes.

Starting the match like Aintree champion Nick Rockett out of the stalls, Eberechi Eze played in Jean-Philippe Mateta, who confidently hammered a left-footed shot into the top corner.

It could have been two shortly after, but Eze’s follow-up effort was superbly tipped around the post by Verbruggen after some quick thinking from Dean Henderson.

Henderson quickly returned to form, making a spectacular save to deny Carlos Baleba and swiftly recovering to thwart Danny Welbeck’s attempt.

However, he was left exposed 10 minutes later as Welbeck broke free in the box and managed to get a toe on Yankuba Minteh’s cross, redirecting it into the net.

The match became somewhat sluggish after the interval, awaiting a spark to ignite the action. That spark came from Daniel Munoz, who collected Eze’s pass and unleashed a shot into the bottom corner, benefitting from a slight deflection.

Munoz’s goal ensured this contest would not end with a sixth consecutive 1-1 draw at Selhurst Park, but it left Brighton in need of yet another comeback.

From that point on, Brighton struggled to assert themselves despite Fabian Hurzeler opting to make four of his five substitutions shortly after going behind.

However, their chances of recovering took a significant hit ten minutes from time when Palace substitute Eddie Nketiah received a second yellow card for a high boot that caught Jan Paul van Hecke’s head.

This led to a tense finish at Selhurst Park, heightened when Marc Guehi also received a second yellow, leaving the hosts with just nine men just as the fourth official indicated there would be 12 minutes of added time.

Unsurprisingly, Palace faced relentless pressure from Brighton in the dying minutes, though the tension eased slightly when Van Hecke was sent off for a second yellow card. From then on, the Eagles held firm to secure their first-ever top-flight double over Brighton.

Catch up on the match here.