Ismaila Sarr scored the only goal as Crystal Palace ended a nine-game winless Premier League run with victory over rivals Brighton at the Amex Stadium.
The game had been drifting towards an insipid goalless draw until Sarr collected second-half substitute Evann Guessand’s pass and calmly lifted the ball over Bart Verbruggen to break the deadlock with Palace’s first shot on target.
Unsurprisingly, given both teams’ lack of form, the first half was largely devoid of quality or creativity, with Brighton full-back Maxim de Cuyper’s tame strike from the edge of the area the only effort on target from either side before the break.
Brighton captain Lewis Dunk posed a threat, lifting a header over the bar from a Pascal Gross corner before nodding wide from the German’s free-kick delivery 15 minutes later.
Oliver Glasner’s Palace improved towards the end of the first half, but Adam Wharton blazed wide from the edge of the area before Sarr sliced an effort off target when under pressure from Dunk.
Chances remained at a premium until just after the hour mark, when Sarr beat Verbruggen for his 10th goal of the season in all competitions.
Teenage Brighton forward Charalampos Kostoulas was denied by Dean Henderson not long after Sarr’s opener, but there was no way back for Fabian Hurzeler’s home team, who are without a win in the league since beating struggling Burnley on 3 January.
Crystal Palace analysis: Battling win eases pressure on Glasner
Victory against Brighton is a relief – Glasner
Set against the backdrop of last season’s superb FA Cup victory, the past two months have been largely pure gloom for Palace.
The Eagles had been without a win since beating Shelbourne in the Conference League on 11 December – when they were still in the Premier League’s top four.
But Sunday’s battling victory over their fierce rivals will go some way to lifting pressure that had been building around Glasner, who is planning to leave at the end of the season.
Striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, who looked set to follow Marc Guehi out of Selhurst Park in the transfer window, was unavailable for this game because of the knee injury that caused his AC Milan move to break down last Monday.
His absence meant Jorgen Strand Larsen was handed his full debut on the south coast. The former Wolves striker had little joy in the first half, although he went close to inadvertently putting Palace ahead when he got in the way of Carlos Baleba’s attempted clearance deep inside the Brighton penalty area.
Strand Larsen also had a powerful shot saved by Verbruggen as Palace looked to establish a two-goal cushion late in the second half.
It was another Palace debutant who managed to unlock the Seagulls as Guessand – a loan arrival from Aston Villa – held off Olivier Boscagli’s challenge before sending Sarr racing clear for the game’s only goal.
The narrow win lifts the Eagles above their rivals and on to 32 points – nine clear of the relegation zone.
Brighton analysis: Fans turn ire on Hurzeler
Brighton are definitely not in an easy situation – Hurzeler
Having made their feelings clear following last weekend’s 1-1 draw at home against Everton, Brighton fans once more directed their ire towards manager Hurzeler at the end of Sunday’s encounter.
The full-time whistle was met by a chorus of boos from the home supporters, with some chanting “you don’t know what you’re doing” in the direction of the 32-year-old as he made his way off the pitch.
Brighton were marginally the better side in the opening 30 minutes, but De Cuyper’s low shot – easily held by Henderson – was all they produced against a Palace side who were evidently lacking in confidence.
Henderson did well to save Kostoulas’ low drive after Sarr’s opener, but there was little else in the way of a response as the home side faded badly.
The 2-0 victory over Burnley last month stands as Brighton’s only victory in their latest 12 league matches – only Burnley and Wolves have picked up fewer points in that time.
There was to be no late cameo for Brighton substitute James Milner, who would have drawn level with Gareth Barry at the top of the Premier League’s all-time appearance list if he had come off the bench.
However, there was a first senior start for teenage winger Harry Howell, who became the youngest player to begin a top-flight game for the Seagulls, aged 17 years and 294 days.
