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Crystal Palace had never lost a game against Brighton when Joel Ward had been on the pitch. So with 12 minutes of stoppage time remaining, and the team already down to nine players and protecting a single-goal lead, his late arrival as a substitute was perhaps a good omen that the win would go to the Eagles - against the perceived odds.
The rivalry with Brighton (note: not a derby), with its 1970s origins, may continue to baffle the outside footballing world but in this form it is not that complicated.
This modern era dates back to September 2011, with a 3-1 Palace away victory that christened Amex Stadium and has been sustained by the ascent of both clubs in the decade or so that has followed.
The embodiment of this era were the two respective academy players who started in that match - Wilfried Zaha and Lewis Dunk - one of whom remains at Brighton but is seemingly in the twilight of his Premier League career, certainly as a starter.
There is always the question of whether players genuinely care about these types of games, which are ultimately fan-led constructs. However, Palace have been fortunate in that there has been a consistent thread from the Dougie Freedman team to that of Oliver Glasner's team, with Joel Ward and Nathaniel Clyne even still with the playing squad.
Imagined or not, we can believe that this squad of players has carried on with the same spirit of seasons past. Indeed, this might be the last time Ward plays in the fixture, but it is clear that this iteration of Palace has managed to find leaders to carry this on into future seasons in his absence.
On the other side of the rivalry, beyond Dunk, it is difficult to see who will carry that torch into future encounters for Brighton and be synonymous with their team in the eyes of Palace fans, given the ever-changing faces in their squad.
However, if that continues to give Palace the advantage in future seasons then I doubt that us fans will spend too long pondering that question in great detail.
Find more from Alex Pewter at FYP podcast
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