BRIGHTON:
Crystal Palace left it late to secure a 2-1 victory away at Fulham and move up to fourth in the Premier League on Sunday while Brighton & Hove Albion were held to a 1-1 draw at home by West Ham United.
Skipper Marc Guehi scored a late winner in the London derby to move Palace up to 26 points with their fifth away win of the season to sit a point above Chelsea in fifth. Fulham remain in 15th.
“It is good (to be in the top four), we keep our feet on the ground, it is only one win against a really good side and we now focus on the next game,” Guehi said.
“It was a tough game, Fulham are a very good side who create a lot of chances with the rotation they have out wide, so it was important we stayed in the game and stay together.
“It is credit to the whole team, not me, as when everyone does their job it is easy.”
Palace took the lead after Adam Wharton found Eddie Nketiah in the box and the striker produced a smart finish to beat goalkeeper Bernd Leno for his second league goal of the season.
However, Fulham equalised in the 38th minute when Harry Wilson played a sublime one-two pass with Raul Jimenez, turning at the edge of the box before pulling the trigger with the outside of his boot to beat Dean Henderson’s dive.
Fulham thought they had turned it around when Emile Smith Rowe scored from a rebound but the goal was chalked off when replays showed Samuel Chukwueze had strayed offside in the build-up.
With a draw seemingly on the cards, Palace scored in the 87th minute from a corner when Guehi rose above the defence to head home the winner, with the captain celebrating in front of delirious Palace fans with his arms outstretched.
Brighton held by West Ham
Brighton and West Ham shared the spoils after Jarrod Bowen’s stunning second-half goal for the visitors was cancelled out by Georginio Rutter’s equaliser in stoppage time.
Bowen’s 73rd-minute strike gave West Ham a ray of hope but Rutter pounced at the death to deny the visitors three valuable points that would have taken them out of the relegation zone.
The result leaves West Ham in 18th place with 13 points, two behind Nottingham Forest, while Brighton moved up to seventh with 23 points.
“It feels amazing for the first goal for the season. I am very happy but we only take one point so that is frustrating,” Rutter told Sky Sports.
“I think West Ham are very good and they are very compact. We were waiting for them to make a mistake.”
In a match played in driving rain and swirling winds, both teams managed to create chances in a goalless first half.
West Ham nearly scored the opener in the second half when Bowen danced through Brighton’s defence before forcing a fine save from Bart Verbruggen, who then made a second save when Crysencio Summerville attempted an acrobatic volley.
