Ismaila Sarr scored the decisive goal as Crystal Palace secured a 1-0 Premier League victory over bitter rivals Brighton on Sunday, ending a miserable 12-match winless run.
The Senegal international struck in the 61st minute, continuing his good record at the Amex Stadium after also scoring twice there in Palace’s 3-1 win last season.
The victory marked Palace’s first win in all competitions since December 11 and lifted them to 13th on the lepague table, moving them one point above Brighton.
Brighton’s struggles continued, with the home fans booing the team off at full-time. Head coach Fabian Hurzeler also came under pressure, as chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning” rang around the stadium. The defeat means Brighton have now won only two of their last 12 Premier League matches.
Palace handed a debut to their £48 million club-record signing, Jorgen Strand Larsen, while 17-year-old midfielder Harry Howell made his first Premier League start for Brighton.
The first half offered little excitement, though Sarr went close in the 43rd minute but fired wide after being set up by Daniel Munoz.
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The breakthrough came shortly after the hour mark when Palace substitute Evann Guessand, on loan from Aston Villa, made an instant impact on his debut. Guessand capitalised on a poor clearance from Brighton captain Lewis Dunk and played Sarr through on goal.
Sarr kept his composure and finished brilliantly past goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.
Brighton pushed for an equaliser, but Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson produced a key save, using his legs to deny Charalampos Kostoulas.
Strand Larsen also came close twice to doubling Palace’s lead, but the visitors held firm through six minutes of stoppage time to claim their first league win since beating Fulham 2-1 on December 7.
