Crystal Palace 1 Brighton & Hove Albion 1
Albion came back to get a much-deserved point at Selhurst – but oh what a difference a fit and firing Danny Welbeck could make for the Seagulls.
It was Albion’s Argentine international Alexis Mac Allister who pulled Albion level in the 90th minute to cancel out Wilfried Zaha’s 19th-minute penalty.
From the off Albion were at Palace’s throats with Tariq Lamptey and Solly March as wing backs providing ammunition for Neal Maupay and Leandro Trossard. Such was Albion’s dominance that Ben White, from a defensive midfield position, got forward and dragged a shot wide.
March fired in a cross that Maupay did well to direct just over and Adam Lallana found himself in space but shot high and wide.
Albion went behind as Lamptey was adjudged to have pulled down Michy Batshuayi. Zaha scored to put Palace in front.
Albion continued to press throughout the second half. Lallana played a superb ball for Maupay who took too long and allowed the ball to get stuck under his feet and the chance was gone.
Yves Bissouma had a decent chance from a well-worked corner routine in which the ball was headed back to him by Lewis Dunk – but Bissouma shot wide.
But it was a combination of good set-up play between Maupay and Lallana which enabled super sub Alexis Mac Allister to fire Albion level in the last minute of normal time.
An incident-packed seven minutes of added time followed, in which Lewis Dunk was sent off with a straight red card for a two-footed lunge on Gary Cahill with the ball loose in the penalty area.
Then March flicked a ball on for Albion substitute Aaron Connolly to chase. He appeared to get a strong palm in the back from Cheikhou Kouyate but neither “ghost goal” referee Stuart Attwell or VAR referee Kevin Friend saw it that way.
Albion stay 16th in the Premier League for now and take on the other top-flight Albion – West Bromwich – on Monday 26 October with an unusual 5.30pm kick-off time.
