Beware the Ides of March. Solly March that is. On the eve of Gareth Southgate naming his England squad for the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine, the 28-year-old’s seventh goal of the season finally ended Brighton’s four-year wait for a victory against their bitter rivals to leave Crystal Palace still winless in 2023 and hovering precariously close to the relegation zone.
From the moment that Patrick Vieira was forced to hand teenager Joe Whitworth his debut in goal, the Palace manager may have suspected it wasn’t going to be his evening. But while Whitworth pulled off several excellent saves to keep the visitors in with a fighting chance until the end, there was no hiding the growing chasm between them and Roberto De Zerbi’s side.
