Crystal Palace Fan View: Premier League survival is within touching distance

After a few weeks littered with last minute goals that tore all or most of the points from Crystal Palace’s grasp, any fan could be forgiven for not jumping for joy at half time with such a slender lead.

We were much the better side in the first half and in truth the scoreline didn’t really demonstrate just how dangerous we looked going forward. Wilfried Zaha was a perennial thorn in Brighton’s side and Milivojevic turned in another commanding performance to orchestrate things.

Sadly, the second half didn’t follow the pattern of the first and a mixture of our nervousness on the ball and Brighton’s desire to get back into it led to a half of football that succeeded only in prematurely aging anyone involved. Hold on we did though, even if it was thanks to our goalkeeper and some gilt-edged missed chances from Brighton…

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Agent Murray & Wayne Hennessey keep Crystal Palace in the game

Glenn Murray is one of the most important players to don a Crystal Palace shirt in the last decade. His goals in our promotion-winning season were vital to our improbably success and it’s for that reason that I don’t want to be too harsh on him. But boy did he do us a favour yesterday…

However, in the second half he missed not one, not two, but three fantastic chances to draw Brighton level and squandered them all.

As for Wayne Hennessey, well he came into his own as Brighton turned up the pressure in the second half. They peppered the box at times, and Wayne claimed plenty of balls in the air and made good stops as they turned the screw. His goal kicks were wayward at times, but he turned out a confident display in a big game and we can’t ask for much more than that.

Brighton Fan View: A bad day for Propper and Seagulls

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One more result could be the ticket to safety

are among the best teams in the league, but for the second game running Southampton snatched defeat from the jaws of victory and did us a massive favour in the process.

That was the first of three important games in the relegation scrap from Crystal Palace’s perspective. On Sunday West Brom face Manchester United in a game that will effectively relegate them if they lose – with Liverpool and Tottenham in the final four games of the season there just won’t be enough points left to survive. Stoke too have a big game this weekend, travelling to West Ham in a game that would effectively see West Ham safe and could lead Stoke six points adrift of Swansea. Not out of it completely, but teetering.

All this comes together to mean one thing really – another win should do it.

37 points isn’t many and everyone involved would like another win or couple of draws on top of that just to really make sure. We’ve got four shots, starting at Watford next weekend to get that win and ease the pressure – let’s get on and do it now then start looking ahead to a 2018/19 season with Crystal Palace still at the top table of English football.