Benteke robs Brighton in A23 derby

In one of English football’s more odd rivalries, an injury-ravaged Crystal Palace made the 46-mile trip down to the South Coast hoping to avoid a loss that would move Brighton above them in the table.

The Action: Despite a decent start from Brighton, it was Palace who struck first, with January signing Jean-Philippe Mateta scoring his first goal for the club in unique style, spinning Ben White before flicking the ball in backwards.

Brighton later capitalised on their dominance inside the first 10 minutes of the second half when Joel Veltman slammed home a loose ball, and the Seagulls continued to utterly dominate proceedings, racking up 25 shots to Palace’s three.

However, a combination of terrible finishing and last-ditch defending limited Brighton to just five efforts on target, and when they looked set to end up frustrated with a point, all three were stolen as Christian Benteke brilliantly volleyed home a winner in the 95th minute of stoppage time.

The Big Picture: Despite a string of huge injuries, Roy Hodgson keeps his head above water with a fortuitous win, while Graham Potter will be wishing he'd managed to replace his striker as well as his goalkeeper, as he's let down in front of goal yet again despite his side dominating the game.

Memorable Moment: Benteke's 95th-minute winner is his best goal yet since finding his feet after seemingly forgetting how to play football following his move from Liverpool, and should give him the confidence to end this season on high.

xG: Brighton (2.06) 1-2 (0.24) C Palace

Man of the Match: Andros Townsend was a workhorse throughout and was rewarded with a well-hit assist for Benteke's winner. 

Quote of the Day: Roy Hodgson on substitute Benteke: "All too often these days, players will prefer to feel sorry for themselves rather than do what Christian did today." 

Stat of the Day: Crystal Palace had two touches in the Brighton box tonight, both resulting in goals.