"Not our best game": Roberto De Zerbi dissects Brighton's win over arch rivals Crystal Palace

Solly March’s well-taken strike was enough to give Albion victory in a feisty M27 derby at the Amex Stadium, but were made to work hard for the three points by Patrick Vieira’s men.

Odsonne Édouard and Michael Olise both had golden opportunities to give the away side the lead in the first half. Eduaord saw his unmarked header from six yards out sail wide of the goal; before Olise had his one-on-one effort saved by Jason Steele’s feet. Their failure to capitalise on these chances allowed Solly March to give Brighton the lead with his seventh goal of the season.

In the dying embers of the game, goalkeeper Steele almost cost his side the win, when misplacing a pass to Pascal Groß in his own penalty area. Luckily for the Brighton shot-stopper, substitute Naouirou Ahamada pulled his effort wide of the goal.

Speaking about the game, De Zerbi said: “I’m really pleased for the players, for the result, for the fans, for the table, but it was a very difficult game.

“We didn't play the best game in our season. This can happen because we can’t play every game like West Ham, Fulham and Palace away. We deserved to win. We could close the game. When you don’t, you have to suffer at the end of the game.

“But this is football. We are not Arsenal, United or Liverpool. I think it is important for us to win in different way then our style.”

The wins sees Brighton move up to seventh in the Premier League table with their fifth win from nine league games in 2023. De Zerbi’s side are now six points behind fourth-placed Tottenham – with two games in hand.

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The result also saw Brighton claim their eighth clean sheet of the season, something which De Zerbi described as ‘important’, especially when not playing well.

De Zerbi said: “I’m not happy 100% because we didn’t play very well. But this can happen in the season, especially during the middle of the week, when you don’t play well.

“The clean sheet is important, because the defensive spaces our important. If you attack with many players, there is the possibility of conceding more goals. The best would be 4-0, but that is not always possible.”