Crystal Palace drove south on the M23 to take on a very high-flying Brighton at the AMEX stadium. It was one of the closest games that this fixture has seen in a while and despite Palace starting well, after Solly March scored in the 15th minute the Seagulls never looked back; controlling the game well to keep all three points on the South Coast.
It was also a game that ultimately cost Patrick Viera his post as Crystal Palace boss. So, here are four things we can learn from the fixture.
-
Vital Veltman
Joel Veltman usually goes about his business quietly however against Crystal Palace this was not the case.
Wilfred Zaha is the top scorer in this fixture and with Palace struggling in front of goal and not having a shot on target in three games, a lot of the attacking threat would need to come from the Ivorian winger and Veltman handled him superbly.
The Dutchman made seven recoveries and won seven duels which helped Brighton to a fourth Premier League clean sheet under Roberto De Zerbi as well as three points in the rivalry. Alongside winning three tackles, Veltman was a rock at the back for the Seagulls and was vital at containing the dangerous Zaha.
It's performances like these which also show the tactical ingenuity of Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi.
When most of a team's threat comes from their left winger as it does with Palace and Zaha, De Zerbi picks Joel Veltman; or either Tariq Lamptey or Pascal Gross who can take on that role if needed. This tactical flexibility that Veltman provides will be very key for Brighton and their push for European football as against Palace he showed his ability to defend against top-quality wingers.
-
Brighton's Steele in goal
Many eyebrows were raised when Jason Steele came in for Robert Sanchez against West Ham United however the 32-year-old English goalkeeper has repaid that faith shown by Roberto De Zerbi tenfold and today was possibly his best performance so far. Michael Olise was through on goal early on after Jaochim Anderson set him through and would have scored but for a world class stop by Steele’s left boot. He also claimed a key cross in injury time off a set piece and that relieved so much pressure for his team and this helped secure the win.
Steele also has excellent distribution and made 28 successful passes which included 5 successful long balls and this ability to play an effective long ball is a key part of De Zerbi’s footballing ideology. As whilst he does like his teams to make short passes in their own half a goalkeeper who can make those passes are vital as if the press is effective then Brighton can get up the pitch. This was key in the opening exchanges of the game as Palace pressed well but Steele's passing range could get on the ball and get forwards when they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to.
-
Blunt Palace attack
This game confirmed that Palace’s attack is not Premier League level. They had been crying out to see Odsonne Édouard up front and against their rivals, their wish was granted. However, the French striker put on a poor performance. He had a free header six yards out which he put wide, as well as losing all of his aerial duels.
Lewis Dunk and Levi Colwill dealt with him perfectly and completely nullified him. This horror performance is the reason why Jean-Phillipe Mateta has been starting as of late and why the Eagles had no shots on target in the three games before that.
As well as this, Michael Olise was very poor and at no point during the game did he look like he was going to add to his miserly two goals this season. He missed a sitter after Joachim Andersen set him through on goal and he only created one chance.
Making two successful dribbles, Pervis Estupinan had very little to worry about. This lack of output from a key player is the main reason why Palace are in a relegation battle. When a key player like Olise is offering such little threat in key games like this, no one will be surprised if Palace is in the bottom three come May.
Eberechi Eze was also very poor when he came on at half-time as well. He came on for Cheick Doucoure but he made no impact, and it was a very poor performance from the attacking midfielder.
Making just two passes into the final third, Eze came on to try and create chances for Palace but he was unable to do so. It became no coincidence that after he came on Brighton was able to control the game with a lot of ease due to the lack of tenacity he provided.
As well as this, there is very little progression of the ball behind the front four from the midfield and defence at Palace at the moment.
Apart from the opportunity from Andersen, centre-back, and a set piece, Palace failed to create any promising chances. This is something players like Jeffrey Schlupp, Cheick Doucoure and Sambi Lokonga must take responsibility for, as between them, they made zero key passes. That is simply not good enough for a Premier League team.
Furthermore, Tyrick Mitchell and Nathaniel Clyne played very deep and offered little support to the attack which made it easy for Brighton to deal with Olise and Zaha.
This lack of attacking output is the main reason why Palace are struggling and why they lost on Wednesday night.
-
Wonderful Whitworth
The youngster, Joe Whitworth, made his Palace debut against Brighton on what was a momentous night for him and his family. A Palace fan since birth, it meant a lot for him to make his debut against rivals Brighton and he was the only positive about this performance.
He made several good saves and looked comfortable in possession despite ageing goalkeepers around him. Whitworth looks set for a bright career at his boyhood club.
The 19-year-old made four saves including a wonderful stop from an Alexis Mac Allister header to keep the score at 1-0. This paired with a 71% pass accuracy after making 30 accurate passes could mean that Patrick Vieira’s successor is well within rights to pick him against Arsenal even if Vicente Guita is fit.
