Hodgson Not Interested in Stats As Palace Stun Brighton

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson defended his side's style with a 2-1 derby victory at Brighton on Monday thanks to Christian Benteke's brilliant 95th minute volley.

The Eagles had just two strokes in the Brighton box, but scored with both, while the Seagulls saw 25 shots and almost 75% of possession counted for little, reports AFP.

“We get so hung up on statistics these days. The game is decided by goals. Goals are a question of how well you take your chances and defend theirs,” said Hodgson.

“Until there are prizes for corners and touches in the box, it’s very important we keep in mind that results are borne out by goals you score and goals you don’t concede. I get no satisfaction when we lose and we have more corners or touches in their box.”

Brighton are still looking over their shoulders at the bottom three after a night that summed up so much of the season for Graham Potter’s men.

“That’s the nature of the league, how punishing it is, we have done a lot but clearly not enough,” said Potter.

“The boys were doing everything to score, it felt like it was always in their penalty box never mind their half.”

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson defended his side's style with a 2-1 derby victory at Brighton on Monday thanks to Christian Benteke's brilliant 95th minute volley.

The Eagles had just two strokes in the Brighton box, but scored with both, while the Seagulls saw 25 shots and almost 75% of possession counted for little.

The visitors were then pinned back as Brighton dominated, but Neal Maupay, Adam Lallana and Leandro Trossard all wasted chances.

When the hosts scored 10 minutes in the second half, it was thanks to the right wing-back of Joel Veltman's first goal for the club.

Pascal Gross' low shot was blocked by Palace Defender Tyrick Mitchell as he struggled with his replacement Danny Welbeck inside the box, and the Dutch defender was kind enough to sweep home left-footed.

Palace then clung on for a point until completely against the run of play they snatched all three deep into stoppage time.

Andros Townsend’s cross beyond the far post did not seem to pose any danger until Benteke connected flush on the volley to send the ball into the far corner.

Victory takes Palace 10 points clear of the relegation zone, while Brighton remain just four clear of in-form Fulham.