Crystal Palace midfielder Conor Gallagher has said the whole dressing room was gutted on Monday night after Neal Maupay rescued a point for Brighton at Selhurst Park in stoppage time.
The hosts had dominated the match for long spells, and had gone deservedly ahead just before half-time when Wilfried Zaha scored from the spot following Leo Trossard’s foul on Gallagher inside the Brighton box. After the break Palace had chances to increase their lead but failed to do so, instead conceding a late equaliser that killed the mood of a previously buoyant Selhurst Park. The goal was the first Palace have conceded at home so far this season, and Gallagher said everybody in the home dressing room was hurting as a result.
Conor Gallagher said “It hurts so much. Throughout the whole game we played so well, defended brilliantly, worked so hard, every single one of us. It feels like a loss, to be honest. We had the three points there and then a lack of concentration loses us two points. Everyone’s gutted.”
Despite the frustration of the draw, Gallagher was once again one of the standout performers for the Eagles as he has been so often under Patrick Vieira this season. The 21-year-old Chelsea loanee looked at his best when harrying defenders and pressing for the ball, and won the penalty in the first thanks to a surging run he made into the box from the right wing before he was cynically brought down by Trossard. Assessing how his team performed on the night,
Conor Gallagher added: “We played brilliantly. Brighton are a good side, they showed that this season. I think the way we performed against them was great and we showed what we can do. If it wasn’t for a lack of concentration at the end we’d be coming away with three points and everyone would be going home buzzing. We won the ball high up the pitch, we caused them problems. But yeah, at the end of the day we didn’t win the game.”
Palace don’t have too long to reflect on the draw, which leaves them 15th in the table, as they return to Selhurst Park on Sunday to take on 13th-placed Leicester City. The Foxes are unbeaten in their last four games against Palace, but have only got the better of the Eagles once in their last five visits to south London.
