- Honours even between Albion and Crystal Palace
- Neal Maupay on target again to put Albion in front
- Seagulls dominate for long spells but are frustrated by Palace keeper Vicente Guaita
- Home side level through Wilfried Zaha with 14 minutes to go
Maupay struck his seventh goal of the Premier League campaign nine minutes into the second half to give Graham Potter’s side a richly-deserved lead.
There were other chances too for the visitors, with home keeper Vicente Guaita in good form, but Palace roused themselves in the closing stages and Wilfried Zaha equalised with 14 minutes to go.
A Frenchman celebrating in front of them at Selhurst Park is a sight Albion fans love to see, and after Anthony Knockaert last season, it looked as if Maupay would be the hero this time when he smashed Leandro Trossard’s cross into the top corner.
Zaha’s equaliser was just as emphatically struck, but Albion headed back down the A23 reflecting that a point was the least they deserved after dominating their hosts for long stages.
Potter made two changes to the side that shared four goals with Wolves last time out. Dale Stephens, who was serving a one-match ban, and Steven Alzate dropped out, with Yves Bissouma and Martin Montoya coming in.
The Seagulls soon settled into a good rhythm, dominating possession in the opening stages winning most of the second balls.
Aaron Mooy was first to threaten Palace’s goal in the sixth minute. Lewis Dunk’s pass allowed him to run at a retreating home defence and unleash a swerving left-foot shot from 25 yards, which brushed the side netting.
Albion continued to pass the ball confidently and were controversially denied a penalty in the 20th minute by VAR. Davy Propper’s pin-point pass released Montoya in the box and he appeared to be clipped by Jairo Reidewald as his shot was pushed out by goalkeeper Vicente Guaita, but after a VAR check, all Albion had was a corner which Dunk met with a thumping header straight at the goalkeeper.
Propper volleyed over from the edge of the box and Guaita had to hold efforts from Bissouma and Propper, as Albion looked for the goal their territorial superiority in the opening half-hour deserved.
As Palace’s frustrations grew Christian Benteke thrust his arm into Dunk and picked up a yellow card. Albion’s only frustration at half-time that they weren’t a goal or two to the good.
Instead, Palace went close for the first time in the 50th minute when Benteke broke down the right and his cross deceived Maty Ryan and rebounded off the bar to Zaha, whose drive forced Ryan into his first save of the night.
Four minutes later, though, Albion got the opener they deserved. Bissouma played a great cross-field ball to Trossard on the right, and his first-time cross was left by Dan Burn and met by Maupay, who swept a left-foot shot high into the net for his third goal in as many games.
Guaita had to make a scrambling save at the feet of Maupay on the hour, after Propper clipped the ball towards the far post, then the Palace keeper got down to his right to hang onto a powerful shot by Bissouma from distance. Guaita was in action again on 69 minutes to thwart Trossard, when the Belgian curled a shot towards the far post.
Palace stirred with 18 minutes to go. First Benteke spun past Dunk and forced Ryan to push his powerful drive around the near post and moments later the Albion keeper held an overhead kick from James McCarthy. But the Australian had little chance when Zaha equalised in the 76th minute. For once Palace’s talisman had space on the left to cut inside before lashing a left-foot shot high into the corner of the net.
On the balance of play it was hardly deserved and now Albion found themselves on the back foot for the first time in the game. James McArthur appealed for a penalty after a tussle with Burn then Jordan Ayew curled an effort just wide after a run from deep inside Albion’s half.
The Seagulls responded and Dunk glanced a header from Pascal Gross’s in-swinging free kick just over before a double change saw Alzate and Shane Duffy replace Trossard and Bissouma.
It ended with honours even, and a point was the least Albion merited heading into the Christmas programme which starts at home to Sheffield United on Saturday.
ALBION: Ryan, Montoya, Webster, Dunk, Burn, Propper, Bissouma (Duffy 84), Mooy, Gross (Bernardo 90), Trossard (Alzate 84), Maupay.
SUBS NOT USED: Button, Jahanbakhsh, Murray, Schelotto.