Crystal Palace 1-1 Brighton & Hove Albion: Seagulls held to frustrating draw
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James Tomkins' goal was his first since December 2021
Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi says his team have "not yet understood" their potential after they were held to a frustrating Premier League draw against Crystal Palace.
The result represented a missed opportunity for the Seagulls in their bid to qualify for European competition for the first time in their history.
De Zerbi's side were on course to move within two points of fifth-placed Tottenham - who have played two games more and were beaten heavily by Leicester on Saturday - when Solly March opened the scoring from Pervis Estupinan's searching cross.
But they remain four points adrift of Spurs after a glaring mistake by Seagulls goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, who dropped a routine catch from Michael Olise's delivery to allow James Tomkins to head home from close range and salvage a point for the hosts.
"We lost two points but we know football," said De Zerbi. "We were a little unlucky but I am really proud of the performance, the players, the quality of play and how many chances we had. We made some mistakes when we conceded the goal or when we could score.
"We have to be clear to understand our potential because we have not yet understood our potential."
Asked what he meant by that comment, the former Sassuolo manager added: "To fight for a place in Europe. Brighton have showed until this moment big potential. We believe in ourselves and want to try to arrive in that position."
The Seagulls have every reason to look back ruefully on this match after failing to capitalise on their dominance and the numerous excellent goalscoring chances.
Crystal Palace 1-1 Brighton: Patrick Vieira happy with point from 'challenging' game
Estupinan was deemed by VAR to be narrowly offside after scooping a right-footed finish past Palace goalkeeper Vicente Guaita during an entertaining but goalless first period.
Brighton's smooth and fluent style was in total contrast to the hosts, who seemed intent on making it a scrappy affair.
But while all three of Palace's best chances arrived from their opponents' mistakes - two blocked Jean-Philippe Mateta efforts and Tomkins' goal - it was nevertheless enough to earn them a hard-fought point.
Mistakes at both ends cost Brighton
Crystal Palace 1-1 Brighton: Roberto de Zerbi eyeing Europe despite draw
While Brighton extended their unbeaten run to seven matches in all competitions, the league table would have had a more favourable complexion for them had they been able to secure the victory that their football deserved.
They could have been out of sight by half-time had their finishing matched the invention and quality they exhibited in their build-up play.
On his return from suspension, Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister engaged in a personal duel with Guaita, who superbly denied him on three occasions and also displayed his athleticism to prevent in-form winger Kaoru Mitoma from curling in his fourth goal in as many games.
Adam Webster also headed wide from a glorious position, as did Mac Allister late on when it seemingly appeared easier to score.
Palace, who managed just one effort on target and had 25% possession, should be credited for their resilience to remain in the contest.
Patrick Vieira's side scrapped and hustled for every loose ball and Tomkins, captain Marc Guehi and Guaita were key figures in their recovery.
"Our discipline enabled us to get a point because Brighton were excellent today," Vieira said.
"They really made it difficult and stretched us. We stayed in the game until we got the goal."
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