It’s a rivalry that may not jump first for all football fans.
But the rivalry is exactly what Palace and Brighton have.
It all began in 1976 when the two teams played each other five times.
Crystal Palace was managed by Terry Venables and Brighton was led by Alan Mullery. The two were teammates at Tottenham Hotspur, but they were never nearby.
It was not the original controversial league game, but the first round tie of the FA Cup.
This was the days before a penalty shootout was an option to determine FA Cup bonds. If a match was drawn, there was a replay. And the teams involved continued to play until there was a winner.
After two draws, Crystal Palace defeated Brighton 1-0 in the third game.
Afterwards, Brighton boss Mallery says there was a hot pot of coffee poured on him by palace fans.
“So I pulled out a handful of exchanges from my pockets, threw them on the floor, and cried out, ‘That’s all you’re worth, Crystal Palace,'” he told the Guardian – and since then, two clubs have never been on the board.
Brighton was once known as the Dolphin, but changed his nickname to the Seagulls, and fans of the Palace claim that something has happened to resemble the nickname, the Eagles.
The Palace has been inducted into the Premier League since 2013. Thanks to the goal of club icon Will Fried Zaha, they defeated Brighton in the Championship Playoff semi-finals to seal the promotion at Wembley.
However, the game had its own problems, but as you enter the dressing room before the match, the palace team spotted excrement on the floor.
Currently, in the Premier League, teams meet more regularly – there are many recent close encounters. Five previous matches at Selhurst Park ended 1-1 ahead of Saturday’s incident-packed game.
This time, Palace won a long life game in memory.
