Ismaila Sarr’s winner saw Crystal Palace clinch a 1-0 victory at Brighton & Hove Albion in the M23 Derby, which ended their nine-match winless Premier League run.
Sarr netted Palace’s 61st-minute winner from a forward pass by substitute, Evann Guessand to end their nine-match winless top-flight run, as they edged Brighton in a low-quality battle.
Palace consequently moved above the Seagulls into 13th position in the Premier League, which left Brighton sat 14th and one point behind the Eagles but eight points above the relegation zone.
With just one league win in total between both teams so far in 2026 and pride at stakes in this M23 derby, it wasn’t surprising that there was a slow start in which Maxence Lacroix cleared a fourth-minute Brighton corner behind.
Lewis Dunk then headed wide from the subsequent corner as Brighton initially dominated possession in a game which soon became end-to-end with little quality, until Maxim De Cuyper saw a 31st-minute shot blocked by Palace’s Chris Richards.
Palace in response won a free kick up the other end after Kaoru Mitoma fouled Adam Wharton, but the set-piece was sloppily headed away from goal by various Palace players, until Wharton pounced with a strike which flew over the bar.
De Cuyper then again went close for Brighton after he pounced on a 38th-minute lay-off touch by Charalampos Kostoulas, yet fired his shot wide of the right corner albeit offside as neither team broke the deadlock before half time.
The second half saw little improvement in the opening phases which prompted Palace manager, Oliver Glasner to substitute Yeremy Pino for Guessand in the 56th minute.
His gamble paid off just five minutes later as Guessand pounced on Dunk’s loose forward header and played the ball forward, which Sarr swiftly latched onto and smashed into the net in only their first shot on target of the match.
Kostoulas almost equalised in the 65th minute after Georginio Rutter played him forward, but his shot was deflected away by Dean Henderson’s left leg.
Palace debutant, Jorgen Strand Larsen enjoyed a quiet bow until he went close to wrapping up their win with a 74th-minute header from a corner-kick, yet he headed his attempt just over the bar on his first outing since his £48 million deadline-day switch from Wolves.
Glasner’s Eagles eventually dug deep to see out their victory to end their nine-match winless league run and moved nine points clear of the drop, although Strand Larsen saw a 94th-minute shot denied by Bart Verbruggen.
What’s Next?
Both teams will be back in league action on Wednesday 11 February in 7:30pm GMT kick-offs, as Brighton head to Aston Villa in a tricky test against the top-four challengers at Villa Park.
Palace meanwhile host second-bottom Burnley at Selhurst Park.
Teams
Brighton: Bart Verbruggen, Ferdi Kadioglu, Lewis Dunk, Olivier Boscagli, Maxim De Cuyper (Welbeck 71′), Harry Howell (Minteh 71′), Carlos Baleba (Gomez 71′), Pascal Gross, Georginio Rutter (O’Riley 82′), Charalampos Kostoulas (Hinshelwood 82′), Kaoru Mitoma
Substitutes: Diego Gomez, Jack Hinshelwood, James Milner, Yankuba Minteh, Matt O’Riley, Jason Steele, Danny Welbeck, Joel Veltman, Igor Julio
Crystal Palace: Dean Henderson, Chris Richards, Maxence Lacroix, Jefferson Lerma, Daniel Munoz, Will Hughes (Kamada 77′), Adam Wharton, Tyrick Mitchell, Ismaila Sarr (Johnson 88′), Yeremy Pino (Guessand 56′), Jorgen Strand Larsen
Substitutes: Walter Benitez, Jaydee Canvot, Nathaniel Clyne, Brennan Johnson, Daichi Kamada, Chad Riad, Borna Sosa, Christiantus Uche, Evann Guessand
Referee – Thomas Bramall