Palace hold on to beat Brighton in five-goal thriller
ByReuters
Updated 14/04/2018 at 16:35 GMT
Wilfried Zaha scored his first-ever Premier League double as Crystal Palace took a huge step towards avoiding relegation by beating Brighton & Hove Albion 3-2 at Selhurst Park and move six points clear of the drop zone.
Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace celebrates with teammates after scoring his sides first goal during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Brighton and Hove Albion at Selhurst Park on April 14, 2018 in London, England.
Image credit: Getty Images
An astonishing first half delivered five goals in the opening 34 minutes with Zaha, twice, and James Tompkins making a mockery of Palace's recent league form which had brought just one win in 10 league games and three successive home defeats.
Zaha's second, a bullet header from Luka Milivojevic's cross, was particularly impressive, but Brighton, who before this game had scored only seven away goals all season, responded with a close-range effort from Glenn Murray and a sublime finish from Jose Izquierdo.
The second half was never going to top that as Palace guarded their lead against fierce Brighton pressure, with Murray twice going close against his former club. But Palace keeper Wayne Hennessey held on to earn Palace their first home league win in three months.
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