Time is a flat circle. Everything Brighton and Crystal Palace have ever done or will do, they do over and over again. They are reborn but into the life into which they were born.
These two parties are as reliable as the tides. Brighton and Hove Albion got off to a brilliant start and emerged as neutral favorites thanks to some surprise wins against big-name clubs, before being reminded of their long-standing club policy that defenses are for the weak and timid , and quickly slipped to something like ninth place on the table.
Crystal Palace, meanwhile, spend the first half of every season in a state of near-crisis, looking to end their lengthy Premier League run and return to the Championship, only to regroup at some point mid-season – often because Defeated their biggest team rivals – finishing somewhere between 10th and 14th.
The lights dimmed at Amex when Trevoh Chalobah’s opener hit the back of the net at the end of a poorly defended corner. Players and fans alike were frozen in time, disappearing from reality for a moment and replaced by a giant man in a bow tie who repeatedly intoned: “It happened again.”
Mailbox: Maresca, Slott ‘humiliate’ Arteta as ‘billion pound bottle job’ Arsenal ‘won’t win league’ with him
Play then resumed and Ismaila Sarr confirmed that prediction seven minutes later when Tyrik Mitchell headed home a brilliant cross from the left. Lewis Dunk was caught behind in Sale’s slipstream and posed no challenge either man or ball.
Brighton’s half-time pressure was wiped out eight minutes from time when Sarr once again picked up Dunk’s sluggish form and grabbed a curling header, one-on-one with Bart Verbruggen, to level the score. A comical own-goal from Mark Gersh a few minutes later did little to boost Brighton’s morale.
Imagine what Brighton could achieve if they could actually defend. Their midfield and attacking talent was dazzling at times – not, it must be said, until after half-time, but at times – but few aspects of their standard and stature could be undermined so regularly at the fundamentals.
Crystal Palace maintained a two-goal lead on the break thanks to lackluster ability. Any and all damnation this faint praise implies should be abandoned as this was the best game plan to get a result against Brighton.
Criticism of Brighton wasn’t particularly fierce either. They have managed to become a Premier League team and spend at least part of every season in Europe because they are willing to take this kind of attacking risk and have enough talent to make it work on their day .
However, the two clubs are currently in a state of first rising and then falling, first falling and then rising, which is relatively rare. You’d be a fool if you thought Crystal Palace were doomed after a poor start to the season, but with the arrival of Oliver Glasner, anyone’s talking about their prospects after finishing last season with the best of them They all appear equally heavy.
You’d be pissed if you thought Brighton didn’t qualify for Europe, but you just know that no matter how strong they start, no matter which big boys they beat, their increasingly frustrating inconsistency will always keep them at the top. The top four were far beyond them.
At some point, fans will always get tired of seeing the same thing year after year. You can’t help but wonder if or when both clubs can break out of the same curious repeat pattern – but as far as this season is concerned, Crystal Palace fans have all the more reason to believe in their only possible trajectory. Now it’s up.
More from F365:
👉 Three Manchester United players included in Manchester derby XI, poor Foden gets the nod
👉 Kelly Cates to ‘leave Sky Sports’ to join MOTD in ‘huge blow’ to plans for ‘three-man anchor team’
👉 Gary O’Neill sacked by Wolves, ‘working on deal’ to appoint top target
