Neal Maupay scored with virtually the last kick of the game as Brighton rescued a point at Crystal Palace in the M23 derby.
With the five minutes of added time almost up, the Frenchman was played through by Joel Veltman after a poor kick by Palace goalkeeper Vicente Guaita, defender Marc Guehi also inexplicably allowing the ball to bounce past him.
Guaita, slightly out of goal and backpedalling, was then lobbed by Maupay as the Frenchman stunned the home crowd into silence and sent the travelling Seagulls fans into raptures.
Not quite the smash and grab they suffered at the hands of Palace the last time these two sides met, it was more than Graham Potter’s team deserved, being outplayed for large parts of the game.
Indeed, the Eagles started the better of the two, midfielder Conor Gallagher seeing his shot blocked by the head of Lewis Dunk in the opening 10 minutes before Odsonne Edouard had his tame effort saved by goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
Brighton, missing the instrumental Yves Bissouma – the Mali international out with a knee injury picked up over last weekend’s win against Leicester – struggled to play out from the back and through midfield as Palace pressed them high.
The Seagulls did have their moments in the first half, however, Leandro Trossard finding the side netting in the 29th minute, that effort Brighton’s first on goal.
They also had a penalty shout turned down three minutes later, Palace defender Joel Ward appearing to tangle legs with Danny Welbeck as the forward latched onto Sanchez’s direct pass.
Instead, it was Palace who were awarded a penalty on the stroke of half-time, Gallagher driving into the box and being barged over by Trossard.
Zaha stepped up to take it, confidently firing into the corner for his 8th goal against Brighton, and his fifth in his five games against the Seagulls at Selhurst Park.
Potter responded at half-time, taking off defender Dan Burn and brining on midfielder Steven Alzate as he attempted to get his team playing.
The change initially worked as Brighton got hold of the ball more, albeit without really threatening, Lewis Dunk having their best chance as his looped header was tipped over by Guaita.
Palace soon reasserted control, though, and they should have doubled their lead, Jordan Ayew one-on-one with Sanchez but only able to slide his effort wide of the goal.
It was the finish of a man who has only scored once in 46 games, and that miss came back to haunt the Ghanaian and his team, Maupay equalising in the final seconds.
Palace manager Patrick Vieira will have nonetheless been happy with his team’s performance, if not the result, the Eagles again showing signs of progress since their opening day battering at the hand of Chelsea.
Brighton will feel the opposite, disappointed with their performance but happy with the result, even though they would have gone top of the league for the first time in their history with a win.
