Report & Highlights: Palace trump Brighton in second-half comeback

Summary

• Marsh makes his first start at U21s level

• Neither side can find a way through in the opening quarter of the match

• Brighton take the lead through Flower 27 minutes in

• Whitworth makes a good stop to deny Mullins at the half-hour mark

• Sheridan can't quite head in an equaliser just before half-time

• HT: Palace 0-1 Brighton

• Imray almost catches the ‘keeper out with a cross that nearly drifts in

• The Palace right-back gets the equaliser just before the hour-mark

• Brighton have a gilt-edged chance to go back in front, but Barrington clears the bar

• Umeh sees a shot saved and just parried away in the nick of time

• Umeh then heads Palace ahead in the 82nd minute

• Trialist rattles the crossbar in stoppage time

• FT: Palace 2-1 Brighton

Just four days on from putting three past Birmingham City in the Premier League Cup, Crystal Palace Under-21s were back in action as they hosted fierce rivals Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League 2.

Head coach Darren Powell made two changes to the side, handing Zach Marsh his first start at U21s level in place of Ademola Ola-Adebomi who recently moved on loan to Burton Albion. Jack Wells-Morrison also returned in place of Dylan Reid who dropped to the bench.

Chances were few and far between in the opening quarter of the game, with Palace being reduced to opportunities from the set pieces.

Brighton took the lead with their first attempt of the game 27 minutes in from a well-worked free-kick routine. A ball sprayed out wide to Jacob Slater was then delivered into the box and Louis Flower headed in off the crossbar at the first time of asking.

Palace captain and goalkeeper Joe Whitworth was called into action just a few minutes later as Jamie Mullins fired a low shot goalbound, but it was no problem for the skipper to save and hold on to.

The Eagles nearly responded just before half-time, as Danny Imray whipped a dangerous ball into the far post following the second phase of a corner. It was met by a stooping Joe Sheridan, but the towering centre-half couldn’t generate the required power to beat Killian Cahill in the Brighton goal.

A big shift in the second-half was required from the south Londoners if they were to get anything out of the game and they duly came racing out of the blocks.

Imray was again at the forefront of Palace’s attacks, threatening from out wide. He fired a cross in towards the six-yard box that almost caught out Cahill in the Brighton goal as it drifted towards the far post.

Just before the hour-mark Imray got Palace back on level terms, as he netted his second goal in as many games. A quickly taken free-kick from Justin Devenny picked out Imray on the right.

He worked it well with Jadan Raymond and Wells-Morrison before skipping past two Brighton challenges and burying it into the side netting on his left foot.

That equaliser saw momentum swing Palace’s way, though Brighton almost hit back immediately to reclaim the lead. Centre-back Leigh Kavanagh charged forwards from the back and found his way into the Palace box before cutting it back across to Luca Barrington.

The forward had time to pick his spot, after Mullins completely missed the ball, though he fired way over the crossbar.

Franco Umeh was causing problems for Brighton in the second-half as he pushed further forward on the left hand side and nearly managed to put Palace ahead. His shot on the edge of the box was parried away by Cahill and almost into the path of Raymond before a recovering Brighton defender cleared it away.

With just under 10 minutes of normal time remaining, Palace took the lead and Umeh got his goal. A corner floated into the near post by Devenny was met by Umeh who rose highest - heading in before Cahill could reach it.

Umeh’s eighth of the season had fired Palace ahead, and they did well to carry that lead through seven minutes of stoppage time right to the end. Trialist, who came on as a late sub for Marsh, rattled the crossbar in the second minute of stoppage time with a sumptuous volley from 20-yards out.

Victory against the Seagulls means that Powell’s side now sit 11th in the Premier League 2, a point behind Liverpool and Sunderland and two clear of the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea.

Palace: Whitworth (GK), Imray, Sheridan, Rodney, Watson, Wells-Morrison, Devenny, Raymond (Mathurin, 81), Plange, Marsh (Trialist, 81), Umeh.

Subs not used: Izquierdo (GK), Francis, Reid.

Brighton: Cahill (GK), Offiah (Nilsson, 73), Slater, Jackson, Kavanagh (Atom, 69), Hinchy, Duffus (Ifill, 83), Chouchane (Albarus, 83), Flower, Mullins (Smith, 69), Barrington.