Post Match report for the Palace game - Monday, 16th December 2019

PREMIER LEAGUE: Crystal Palace v Brighton - 16/12/19, P17.

ALBION SHOW INTENT BUT CANNOT CAPITALIZE


VENUE: Selhurst Park, London SE25 - ninth away match of seventeen fixtures to date.
RESULT: 1-1 ~ Maupay . (h-t 0-0) . SHAPE: 4-4-1-1
REF: tolerant during the first half, keeping things cool. And continued in the same way when it all hotted up.


PRE-KICKOFF: it was a Monday night in mid December but thankfully not too far a trip away for Brighton fans faced with work or other duties to get done in the week prior to Christmas hols. Met police also turned up here as per usual.
GATE: 25k . WEATHER: constant rain.

GRAHAM POTTER looked at the available squad and made a couple of starting changes to the last Sunday home fixture.
Stephens was suspended so Bissouma stepped in. Montoya returned at right back in lieu of Alzate.

TEAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Ryan
. 22 Montoya, 15 Webster, 5 Dunk, 33 Burn
. 18 Mooy, 8 Bissouma, 24 Propper, 11 Trossard
. . . . . . . . . . . 13 Gross, 7 Maupay

BENCH: 27 Button, 21 Schelotto, 30 Bernardo (92), 4 Duffy (84), 46 Alzate (84), 16 Jahanbakhsh, 17 Murray.


GOALS: 54 - 0-1. A sweeping move involving Bissouma & Trossard sees the cross go by Burn but is finished by MAUPAY.
76 - 1-1. Albion invited pressure and paid the consequence. Crosses were allowed into the box and an opportunity was taken.

INCIDENTS: 23 - following a run into the box Montoya went down. VAR checked for offside but disputed a penalty shout.

YELLOWS: 87 - Propper took one for the team.

SUBS: 84 - Duffy & Alzate came on together, while Bissouma & Trossard went off. 92 - Bernardo in lieu of Gross.
Potter reacted & reshaped - in defensive mode with 541.

ANALYSIS: the opening half hour saw Seagulls rack up plenty of possession and make progress into the final third where a few good chances occurred. Movement down either flank carried a threat although final balls and finishing were often wide of the mark.
Rough & tumble ensued at times, given some crowded melees in inclement conditions on the wet surface. By the break visitors had given good account but failed to make a breakthrough.
Travellers took a lead according to ongoing stats thus far into the second half but failed to further put hosts to the sword.
The predictable response from locals eased them back into the game, they next equalised, the crowd was lifted and Albion were left on the back foot.
Potter made substitutions with a double change in an attempt to counter late Palace aerial threats with massed ranks.
Latter stages were a period of have & hold for the away eleven, having run out of ideas going forwards and forced to defend deep.
Game management evaporated from much earlier control into just reactive battling to stay in the contest.
At end of the day, lack of scoring more than one goal cost the away team two points.
MoM - Dunk, kept it real to eventually salvage a point.

NUMBERS: poss 34%-66%, on target 4-10, off target 7-5, corners 3-7, fouls 7-12, yellows 1-1, subs 2-3.

FS