Crystal Palace turned up the heat on their seaside rivals Brighton with a clinical 3-1 win, despite spending much of the game without the ball. The Eagles made the most of their chances, while Brighton struggled to break down a compact and disciplined Palace defense.

Stat Breakdown

Palace Efficient Despite Less Possession
Brighton: 67% possession, 16 shots, 35 dribbles.
Crystal Palace: 33% possession, 12 shots, 3 goals.
Palace may have had less of the ball, but their 3 goals from just 5 shots on target underline their sharp attacking play, compared to Brighton’s struggles despite 6 shots on target and 10 shots off target.

Match Momentum

Brighton Dominate, Palace Punish
Brighton had the lion’s share of possession (67%) and territory throughout the game, illustrated by the momentum chart showing waves of attacking pressure.

Crystal Palace were ruthless with their counter-attacks, capitalizing on the limited opportunities they carved out. Palace’s expected goals (xG) of 2.8 highlight their quality finishing, while Brighton’s 1.0 xG tells the story of their inefficiency in front of goal.

Shots Taken

Clinical Palace, Wasteful Seagulls

Crystal Palace: 12 shots, 3 goals, and an xG of 2.81.

Palace struck gold with goals from Chalobah (26′), Sarr (32′), and Guéhi (87′), all in prime positions as seen in their shot map. Their finishing inside the box proved decisive.

Brighton: 16 shots, 1 goal, xG of 1.03.

João Pedro’s late consolation wasn’t enough, with Brighton’s 6 shots on target failing to trouble the Eagles consistently. Their shot map reveals speculative efforts from outside the box that lacked cutting edge.

Possession Tactics

Brighton’s Overload vs. Palace’s Compact Block

Brighton’s Pass Map: Heavy play through the middle with Dunk and Baleba central to possession, supported by the overlapping runs of Mitoma and Lamptey.

However, their passes often stalled in the final third, as Palace’s block limited space around the box.

Crystal Palace’s Pass Map: A compact defensive setup and a direct approach.

Eze and Mateta were crucial in leading Palace’s quick transitions. The linkup play down the left, involving Mitchell and Guéhi, disrupted Brighton’s defensive shape.

Brighton dominated the ball but lacked precision, while Crystal Palace executed a textbook counter-attacking game. Palace’s clinical edge gave them the win and bragging rights over their rivals in a high-intensity MW16 clash.