Chris Richards Reflects on Thrilling First Palace vs. Brighton Encounter

Chris Richards expressed his satisfaction at being part of Crystal Palace’s intense rivalry with Brighton & Hove Albion for the first time. The versatile player, who transitioned from defense to defensive midfield, played a pivotal role in his fifth consecutive Premier League start during Thursday night’s 1-1 draw.

Richards, who missed the two clashes between the teams last season, shared his excitement with Palace TV, saying, “It was interesting! Right before half-time, when we scored, the crowd was really loud. It was really good to hear that. I felt like it was a bit louder [than normal] because of the rivalry. It was awesome to experience my first Palace-Brighton rivalry.”

The 23-year-old’s energetic pressing from the front created the opening goal for Palace, as his pressure on Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen forced a mistake, leading to Michael Olise’s cross for Jordan Ayew’s header.

Reflecting on his new role in midfield, Richards remarked, “It’s interesting. I’m still learning every day, but hopefully I can become a bit more natural by the end of the season. [There’s] definitely a lot more running, I’ll tell you that! But it has some similarities in the fact that you’re defending in the middle of the field.”

Despite holding the lead for most of the game, Palace conceded a late equalizer to Brighton’s Danny Welbeck. Richards acknowledged the disappointment, stating, “I’d say [we’re] a bit disappointed. It always sucks to concede a goal late, especially at home, but I think we feel disappointed because we felt we deserved a bit more from the game.”

“In some ways, it hurt a little bit more to concede late. A lot of us are a little disappointed, but in hindsight, it’s always good to get a point. A point is a point, so we take the positives from it and move forward,” he added.