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Goals change the games, and sometimes they also leave you questioning your sanity. As the clock struck 94 minutes, there was only one way to frame Crystal Palace’s performance. They had conjured two shots at 25 for Brighton and, at that point, they hit a single touch in their penalty area.
It had been a sad offering, illuminated briefly and unexpectedly by a sweet improvisational piece by Jean-Philippe Mateta before half an hour.
In the best of cases, it would be a draw that would make them lose face and save face when they did not dare to lose; a less generous reading would have called it positive proof that they are mired in a routine and that without Wilfried Zaha any pretense of proactivity is thrown out the window.
Whatever this actually is, what happened next will define it.
Palace had barely been anywhere near the Brighton area since Mateta’s goal and had rarely entered their field. But Andros Townsend, who had practically operated as second left back, tried one last show of initiative and managed to throw a high and deep cross beyond the six-yard box.
Christian Benteke had taken off Dan Burn’s back and, perfectly following the flight of the ball, shaped it to volley from an angle. He caught him magnificently: his blow pierced Robert Sánchez with an arrow, and those who had witnessed what preceded him found the courage of their convictions brutally shaken.
The perfect visitor performance? A pure chance? A sticky cast? Credit should be given when it is due: Palace needed this win, given the dearth of recent offers and growing dissatisfaction among its fanbase with foosball and soporific displays. Roy Hodgson had advised the unhappy to be careful what they wished for, but if Brighton had made more than one of their 25 shots and counted the flood of opportunities they created after Joel Veltman’s draw, there might be little to hide.
Anyone feeling dazed and confused was quickly put in their place by Hodgson. “The game is not about touches in the opposition area, is it?” he said. “It’s about scoring goals and not letting any in. We were lucky that we took advantage of the couple of occasions we created. I’m not going to apologize for what we consider to be a very good victory ”.
No one suggests that it should. Perhaps analysis can yield too easily to the need for a great plan when it is important to live in the moment. Palace lived on the edge, but its two incision moments will survive in the tradition of this accessory.
They hadn’t put a glove on Brighton before Mateta scored, but it was a wonderful finish, with the heel back passing a surprised Sanchez for the first time after Jordan Ayew made a flat to the right and crossed.
Mateta had no room for an orthodox shot, with Ben White stuck to his left shoulder, and Mainz’s huge loan out showed why it will cost a penny if that move becomes permanent.
Unlike his visitors, Brighton had arrived feeling comfortable in his own skin. They passed, probed and rotated with the confidence of an undefeated team in six games, but failed to create a clear opportunity in the first half. The arrival of Danny Welbeck after the break transformed things. When he was tackled, the excellent Veltman swept the fumble.
Palace held on for the next 20 minutes, Vicente Guaita blocked Welbeck and Leandro Trossard twice in the same sequence before Adam Lallana skied out two presentable chances.
Benteke, replacing Mateta, fired high and wide in an isolated foray into the Palace, but a smash and grab never felt likely, even for those of the most battle-weary disposition.
“It’s the beauty of football, even though it doesn’t feel so beautiful right now,” said a generous Graham Potter. “I felt like it was going to be a matter of time before we got something into his goal and losing like that is a hit.”
His team can’t shake off the specter of a relegation dogfight return. One benefit of Palace’s stasis is that they feel well out of harm’s way and Hodgson could enjoy the night’s signature flourish.
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“Sublime, really,” he said of Benteke’s attack. “He’s found himself in shooting positions quite often and it wasn’t always the shot he tried to make. That was definitely a clinical ending and the shot I wanted to play. “
It was probably a compliment but, as with everything that had happened, it might be better to postpone a deeper interpretation.
