The Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. Vs Crystal Palace F.C. Standings battle took a dramatic turn on April 5, 2025, when Crystal Palace held on to win 2-1 at Selhurst Park despite finishing the game with nine men, with Colombian winger Daniel Muñoz scoring the decisive second-half goal.
Jean-Philippe Mateta had put Palace ahead inside three minutes before Danny Welbeck equalised for Brighton on 31 minutes, setting up a second half in which Muñoz’s 55th-minute strike proved to be the winner despite Brighton’s pressure and numerical advantage in the closing stages.
The result left Crystal Palace on 43 points in 13th place, while Brighton slipped to ninth on 47 points from 32 games.
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. Vs Crystal Palace F.C. Standings: Match Timeline
| Minute | Event | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| KO | Kick-off | — | — |
| 3′ | GOAL | Jean-Philippe Mateta | Crystal Palace |
| 25′ | Event | — | — |
| 31′ | GOAL | Danny Welbeck | Brighton |
| HT | Half-time | Palace 1-1 Brighton | — |
| 55′ | GOAL | Daniel Muñoz | Crystal Palace |
| 57′ | Event | — | — |
| 63′ | Red card | Palace player off | Crystal Palace |
| 63′ | Event | — | — |
| 68′ | Event | — | — |
| 69′ | Event | — | — |
| 72′ | Event | — | — |
| 78′ | Substitution | Mateta off / Eddie Nketiah on | Crystal Palace |
| 80′ | Red card | Palace player off | Crystal Palace |
| 81′ | Event | — | — |
| 82′ | Substitution | Lacroix off / Joel Ward on; Wharton off / Will Hughes on | Crystal Palace |
| 90′ | SUB | Guéhi on / Mitchell off | Crystal Palace |
| 90+6′ | Late chance | Jan Paul van Hecke | Brighton |
| FT | Full-time | Palace 2-1 Brighton | — |
Match Statistics
| Stat | Crystal Palace | Brighton |
|---|---|---|
| Final Score | 2 | 1 |
| Possession | 37.6% | 62.4% |
| Shots on Target | 3 | 5 |
| Total Shots | 8 | 11 |
| Corner Kicks | 2 | 4 |
| Yellow Cards | 0 | 1 |
| Saves | 4 | 1 |
| Venue | Selhurst Park, London | — |
| Attendance | 24,564 | — |
| Referee | Anthony Taylor | — |
Starting Lineups
| Position | Crystal Palace | Brighton |
|---|---|---|
| GK | Dean Henderson | — |
| DEF | Guéhi, Lacroix, Lerma, Mitchell | — |
| MID | Kamada, Wharton, Muñoz | — |
| ATT | Eze, Sarr, Mateta | Danny Welbeck (scorer) |
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. Vs Crystal Palace F.C. Standings: Premier League Table At Time Of Match
| Pos | Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 32 | 21 | 7 | 4 | +38 | 70 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 30 | 18 | 7 | 5 | +32 | 61 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 31 | 15 | 10 | 6 | +13 | 55 |
| 4 | Aston Villa | 32 | 16 | 7 | 9 | +5 | 55 |
| 5 | Liverpool | 32 | 15 | 7 | 10 | +10 | 52 |
| 6 | Chelsea | 31 | 13 | 9 | 9 | +15 | 48 |
| 7 | Brentford | 32 | 13 | 8 | 11 | +4 | 47 |
| 8 | Everton | 32 | 13 | 8 | 11 | +2 | 47 |
| 9 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 32 | 12 | 10 | 10 | +6 | 46 |
| 10 | Sunderland | 32 | 12 | 10 | 10 | -3 | 46 |
| 11 | AFC Bournemouth | 32 | 10 | 15 | 7 | -1 | 45 |
| 12 | Fulham | 32 | 13 | 5 | 14 | -3 | 44 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace | 31 | 11 | 9 | 11 | -1 | 42 |
| 14 | Newcastle United | 32 | 12 | 6 | 14 | -2 | 42 |
| 15 | Leeds United | 31 | 7 | 12 | 12 | -11 | 33 |
| 16 | Nottingham Forest | 32 | 8 | 9 | 15 | -12 | 33 |
| 17 | West Ham United | 32 | 8 | 8 | 16 | -17 | 32 |
| 18 | Tottenham Hotspur | 32 | 7 | 9 | 16 | -11 | 30 |
| 19 | Burnley | 32 | 4 | 8 | 20 | -30 | 20 |
| 20 | Wolverhampton | 32 | 3 | 8 | 21 | -34 | 17 |
Relative Standings: Brighton vs Crystal Palace
| Metric | Brighton | Crystal Palace |
|---|---|---|
| Position | 9th | 13th |
| Points | 47 | 42 |
| Won | 12 | 11 |
| Drawn | 10 | 9 |
| Lost | 10 | 11 |
| Goal Difference | +6 | -1 |
| Games Played | 32 | 31 |
The South London derby at Selhurst Park was a fixture of high intensity from the first whistle, with Mateta’s predatory opener inside three minutes giving the home side an early platform against a Brighton outfit that had been in superior league form heading into the weekend.
Brighton’s 62.4% possession advantage and greater shot output told a story of frustrated dominance, with Fabian Hürzeler’s side unable to convert their territorial control into goals beyond Welbeck’s equaliser, as Palace’s compact defensive shape — even reduced to nine men — absorbed sustained pressure with impressive organisation.
Palace’s willingness to defend with reduced numbers from the 63rd minute onwards produced one of the 2024-25 Premier League season’s more remarkable results, and the three points moved Oliver Glasner’s side to within four points of Brighton in the ninth-place standings battle.
