Brighton 1-1 Crystal Palace: Late own goal gives Brighton deserved draw
Jack Butland “allowed us to go home with the point” said Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira after his keeper’s fine performance helped them draw 1-1 with Brighton.
Butland saved a penalty from Pascal Gross and made several key saves in the stalemate at the Amex Stadium.
It comes less than a week after Butland’s howler gifted Benik Afobe a goal for Millwall in Palace’s 2-1 FA Cup victory.
“Jack Butland was the man of the match, I am delighted for him. He is working hard every single day,” said Vieira.
“He needed a chance and he was at his best today. He showed all his potential. He deserved it for the way he has been working and waiting.”
Palace looked set to take all three points after Conor Gallagher scored in the 69th minute, before a late own goal from Joachim Andersen capped off an eventful encounter.
Brighton were the better side throughout and, before Gallagher’s composed finish from Jeffrey Schlupp’s cut-back, they had tested Butland on a number of occasions.
Butland denied Gross from the spot in the first half, kept out Leandro Trossard following a huge error from defender Joel Ward and later tipped Jakub Moder’s effort over the bar.
Brighton’s Moder also hit the crossbar within minutes of the restart after Neal Maupay had earlier bundled a finish over the line, only for the goal to be ruled out for a foul on Butland.
Both Maupay’s disallowed effort and the awarded penalty decision came after referee Robert Jones consulted the pitchside VAR monitor effectively.
In a frenetic few minutes before half time, Jones awarded the spot-kick when Will Hughes had his arms around Joel Veltman but Gross’ poor attempt was saved. From the resulting corner, Maupay had a high boot as he challenged Butland’s grip on the ball on the goalline.
With three minutes left, Maupay’s low cross was eventually deflected in by Andersen to seal the 1-1 draw.
But despite not coming away with a clean sheet, it was a pleasing night for Butland, who said his performance was “rewarding” and a reminder of his talent.
The 28-year-old, understudy to Jordan Pickford for England at the 2018 World Cup, lost his number one spot at Stoke before moving to Palace.
This was just his fourth Premier League start for the club and Butland said: “I left Stoke and had been struggling confidence wise. Coming to Palace is a breath of fresh air.
“The chances have been few and far between and to have a night like this is rewarding and reminds me what I am capable of.
“There are still things to work on but it has been a long time, when you don’t play as regularly as you like it is harder. This is a reminder. I feel like I have been ready for this.”
