🦁 Palace 11 without a win, Brighton and Brentford boost European hopes | OneFootball

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Lewis Ambrose·15 March 2023

🦁 Palace 11 without a win, Brighton and Brentford boost European hopes

Article image:🦁 Palace 11 without a win, Brighton and Brentford boost European hopes

The two biggest surprise packages of the Premier League season kept their European dreams going with wins on Wednesday night.


Palace’s rotten run continues but Brighton eye fourth

Scorers: March 15′


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Crystal Palace are now 11 Premier League games without a win as Brighton beat them to draw level on points with Liverpool on Wednesday.

It was two of the league’s form players who combined for the game’s only goal, with Kaoru Mitoma moving infield and releasing Solly March with a superb through ball. The winger took one touch before getting his shot away quickly, across goal with his left foot, to beat Joe Whitworth in the Palace goal.

Making his debut, Wednesday’s game saw the 19-year-old became the youngest goalkeeper to feature in a Premier League game since December 2005.

Palace were lucky to go into the break with 11 players after Cheick Doucouré, already on a booking, steamed into challenges on Moises Caicedo and Joël Veltman. It was little surprise to see the midfielder hooked for Eberechi Eze a at half-time.

The guests struggled to play themselves into the game again after the break and it was Whitworth who shone brightest for Patrick Vieira’s side, pulling off eye-catching saves to deny Pervis Estupiñán shortly after the break and later an Alexis Mac Allister header from a Brighton corner.

Much of the second half, though, petered out as Brighton were happy to protect their lead against a side unable to create any real chances of note.

Still seventh for now, Brighton are now just six points from fourth-placed Tottenham and have a game in hand on the club from north London.


Brentford win, Saints remain bottom

Scorers: Toney 32′, Wissa 90+7′

Brentford found an immediate response to the weekend’s disappointing defeat at Everton, managing a win that keeps Southampton bottom of the table.

Bryan Mbeumo was first to threaten on the south coast, his volley drawing a fine save from Gavin Bazunu on an evening with wet and windy that conditions threaten to trouble the goalkeepers throughout.

The closest the Saints went to the opener saw Ben Mee slide in to deny Kamaldeen Sulemana a clear sight at goal and it was the Bees who broke the deadlock.

Always a threat from set-pieces, a  Brentford corner found Christian Nørgaard at the near post and his flick landed perfectly for Ivan Toney, who slid in unmarked at the back post to net his 16th goal of the Premier League season.

Brentford have not lost any of the 28 Premier League games they have taken the lead in since the start of last season and that never looked liked changing here, with a Che Adams effort blocked off the line by Aaron Hickey in Southampton’s only real chance.

The rest of their efforts saw James Ward-Prowse trying his luck from distance, to no avail, and a host crosses into the area dealt with comfortably by Brentford’s three centre-backs, providing the platform for Brentford to break away and seal the win through Yoann Wissa in stoppage time.

A win would have seen the Saints up to 16th but they remain bottom — the four clubs above them now each have a game in hand — while Brentford rise to eighth, just a point behind Liverpool in sixth.