Under-strength Palace show fighting qualities

There cannot be too many Crystal Palace fans who went into this clash with their bitter rivals feeling optimistic. The Eagles, yet to win a game in 2023, lined up without Wilfried Zaha, Joachim Andersen, Joel Ward and Chris Richards, all missing through injury, as well as Eberechi Eze. The proposition of a second-string side facing high-flying opponents on a six game unbeaten run looked daunting.

So it proved. Palace struggled to get out of their own half for much of the game and on the rare occasions they did, they didn't use the ball well enough to create chances. Jean-Phillippe Mateta & substitute Odsonne Edouard's disappointing showings epitomised their attacking problems.

What the hosts did show in abundance was fighting spirit and resilience against wave after wave of pressure. Will Hughes won a team-high four duels in the first half before being forced off with injury, Cheick Doucoure made several thunderous challenges in midfield, and James Tomkins, now the club's fourth choice centre back, put his body on the line time and again to block shots.

Palace's football has regressed this season, but Patrick Vieira will be grateful he can still rely on his side to put a shift in when it counts.

Olise continues to shine

One man who does look capable of inspiring Palace's misfiring attack is Michael Olise. The winger, still only 21, had limited opportunity to show off his skills here as Palace struggled to get forward, but when they did he looked their brightest spark by far. 

Olise's clever reverse ball played Mateta through in the first half for the hosts' best opportunity, while another run down the right saw him beat three Brighton players before his cutback was cleared.

The Frenchman has been in excellent form this campaign, and may well wish he had better strikers in front of him to boost his assist numbers a bit. Sharks will be circling, but with talisman Zaha looking likely to depart in the summer, it will be all the more crucial for the Eagles to  hold on to Olise and his talents.

Seagulls don't need to win to demonstrate their superiority 

The stats from Selhurst Park told their own story: Brighton enjoyed 75% possession, had seven shots on target to the hosts' one, six corners vs Palace's one, more than double the amount of touches and made treble the number of passes. This was total domination. But despite this extreme and obvious superiority, that sole shot on target for the hosts was a goal, and means the honours were shared.

This has become a regular feature of Brighton/Palace matches in recent years. Through the Graham Potter years, the Seagulls regularly dominated proceedings only to fail to get their rewards time and again. In fact, they haven't beaten Palace for almost four years - at the back end of Chris Hughton's tenure - a fact that Palace fans revel in repeating.

No matter. Any neutral watching this game would not have been left in any doubt as to which side is currently in the ascendancy. While Palace continue to scrap to keep themselves out of a relegation battle, Brighton are a slick outfit more than worthy of their place in the league's higher echelons. 

They proved it once again at Selhurst Park and if the trend continues, it surely won't be long until they claim that elusive win against their rivals.

Solly Marches on

Solly March is a man reborn under Roberto De Zerbi. After failing to score in almost two years, his opener here was his fifth in his last seven  games to go alongside two assists.

March, who was in Crystal Palace's academy for two years as a youngster, was the best player on the pitch at Selhurst Park and created all sorts of problems down the right hand side. After half-time, De Zerbi sent March to hug the right touchline and the Seagulls switched the ball to him at will, having worked out that Palace weren't going to let them play through the middle easily.

Enjoying plenty of time on the ball, March caused havoc with his jinking runs and link play with Alexis Mac Allister. His desire to beat Tyrick Mitchell to the ball for the goal, and his composure to plant it into the top corner on the bounce, was exceptional.

This was just reward for an electric performance which Mitchell will be having nightmares about for some time.