Why Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson sought out Brighton star, Adam Lallana's fury and Roberto De Zerbi's class

Jordan Ayew gave the Eagles a deserved lead just before half time only for Welbeck to equalise in the 82nd minute at Selhurst Park.

The result means the Seagulls have just one win in their last five matches, leaving them eighth in the table. Incidentally, here are some moments from the contest you may have missed.

Nobody thrown under the bus

Not for the first time this season when trying to pass out from the back, Brighton were the architects of their own downfall for Palace's opener.

Goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen's attempted pass was cut out by Michael Olise, who then bagged the assist for Ayew in the 45th minute.

The Dutch stopper didn't have his most assertive night in goal as early in the second half, captain Lewis Dunk was not best pleased with how long it took the 21-year-old to clear the danger when it looked like he had enough time to easily beat Jean-Philippe Mateta to a bouncing ball in the box.

The summer signing looked crestfallen when trudging off the pitch at half time but goalkeeper coach Jack Stern rushed over to Verbruggen, put his arm around his shoulder, and appeared to give him some constructive criticism.

That was backed up by head coach Roberto De Zerbi when he said at full time to Sky Sports: "It's not the responsibility of Bart Verbuggen [only] because when the keeper is under pressure he needs his team-mates to play."

The enforcer

During the lockdown seasons, you truly understood just how vocal Adam Lallana is on the pitch. Even with a packed Selhurst Park, the 35-year-old could be heard barking orders to his teammates when he came on in the 75th minute.

In one instance, he yelled at teammate Igor Julio for not clearing the ball quicker when facing off against the dangerous Olise and he also turned his ire towards Dunk, who responded with a dollop of ferocity of his own.

The veteran didn't do a great deal when he came on, but it seemed like he helped improve the team's intensity and determination, whilst giving them an earful along the way.

Happy reunion

Brighton signed Joao Pedro for £30 million in the summer from Watford and so far he has been an excellent signing, with 11 goals in all competitions.

The Brazilian can play across the front line and De Zerbi says he is becoming a "great player".

The 22-year-old showed glimpses of his quality against Palace but was well shackled at times by the Eagles' defence. When the final whistle blew and he headed to the changing rooms, Palace boss Roy Hodgson waylaid him.

The former England manager was in charge at Watford during a brief stint in 2022 and worked with Pedro, where he described him as a player with "exceptional" potential.

And when the pair reunited once more, they exchanged an embrace, a handshake, and a few kind words to one another. Clearly, the respect is mutual.

Contrasting relationships

As expected, there was plenty of repartee between the home and away fans at Selhurst Park.

In one instance, Palace's supporters sang, "Can you hear the Brighton sing? I can't hear a f*****g thing," to which the Albion faithful responded, reminding them of their Europa League success, "Have you ever seen the Palace in the Dam [Amsterdam]? Have you f**k!".

Juxtaposed to that, just after Hodgson had done his post-match press conference, De Zerbi came up to the 76-year-old, hugged him, and put his hand on his shoulder whilst beaming at him during their conversation. It was a classy moment shortly after the heat of the battle.