Brighton 0 Crystal Palace 0: No-so-local derby ends goalless with most action happening outside the ground

SO much for the most ferocious derby the football world has ever seen. The first top-flight meeting between these supposed enemies for 36 years might have produced plenty of pre-match bluster from the keyboard warriors.

But out on the pitch where it really mattered, neither team could generate enough electricity to power a light bulb. All week we had been hearing that feathers were going to fly when the Seagulls and the Eagles finally got their claws into each other. But even Palace’s first clean sheet of the season could not hide the fact that this one grudge match which most definitely failed to live up to the hype. The last time these most unlikely rivals met in the 2013 Championship play-offs, somone left a ‘deposit’ in the showers of the visitors’ dressing-room and the identity of the phantom pooper remains a mystery to this day.

Crystal Palace fans still outside the Amex stadium 15 minutes before half time. Shocking. #CPFC pic.twitter.com/pYUPG87E5E

— Footy Away Days (@FootyAwayDays_) November 28, 2017 

 The welcome awaiting Palace at the Amex Stadium this time was a little colder and far less smelly, which was good news for everyone.

Yet the intervening four years have done little to sweeten relations between two clubs who have no idea why they hate each other so much. And the hostile atmosphere hardly helped by a series of deafening explosions from the away end which had the stewards scampering to identify the culprits.

Glenn Murray, once a Palace hero, was booed by the Eagles supporters who had made the 40-mile journey from South London. But it wasn’t half as bad as the abuse being aimed at Wilfried Zaha, who had admonished the Brighton fans on his Instagram account after they had posted messages wishing him a broken leg.

Palace, without a goal or a point on their travels all season, certainly didn’t start like a team rooted to the foot of the Premier League. Boosted by Christian Benteke’s first start in nine games following a two-month knee injury, the visitors looked to get the ball forward as often and as quickly as possible.

Brighton, though, were giving nothing away and relished the opportunity to get stuck into the £27million Belgian striker at every opportunity. Benteke, though, was not to be deterred and he engineered a 14th minute opening for himself which keeper Mathew Ryan did well block. And if that splendid save from the Aussie international wasn’t enough, his lightning reactions to keep out Zaha’s follow-up effort were even more impressive. Brighton, strangely subdued during the first 20 minutes, finally rallied midway through the first-half with a firm header from Lewis Dunk which was comfortably held by Wayne Hennessey.

The Palace keeper was soon back in action, beating away Jose Izquierdo’s 28th minute effort then watching in relief as Dale Stephens pounced on the loose ball but screwed his shot wide of the target.

Brighton, unbeaten at their Amex home since Manchester City’s visit on the opening day of the season, were slowly starting to assert themselves and Pascal Gross’ low shot forced Hennessey into another full-length save.

Yet the visitors continued to threaten on the counter-attack, with the lively Zaha twice being knocked over in the penalty area, first by Dunk and then by Shane Duffy.

From The Sun