Sarr strikes as Palace end winless run with victory against Brighton

Ismaila Sarr’s second-half goal helped Crystal Palace end a woeful 12-match winless run with a 1-0 Premier League victory away to bitter rivals Brighton on Sunday.

Senegal international Sarr, who scored twice in Palace’s 3-1 win at the Amex last season, scored the only goal of the game in the 61st minute.

The Eagles’ victory was their first in all competitions since December 11 and took them to 13th place -- a point above the Seagulls.

Brighton were booed off at full-time by their own fans, with head coach Fabian Hurzeler on the receiving end of chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning” following a defeat that meant Albion have won just two of their last 12 Premier League matches.

Palace gave a debut to £48 million ($65 million) club-record signing Jorgen Strand Larsen, while 17-year-old Brighton midfielder Harry Howell made his first Premier League start.

A mediocre first half saw Sarr fire wide in the 43rd minute after being played in by Daniel Munoz.

But Sarr eventually broke the deadlock just after the hour.

Palace substitute Evann Guessand, who arrived on loan from Aston Villa on January 30, made a memorable impact on his Palace debut with the Ivory Coast forward slipping in Sarr after a poor clearance from Lewis Dunk.

Sarr then finished in style with a shot beyond Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.

Minutes later, Eagles keeper Dean Henderson then saved with his legs from Charalampos Kostoulas to deny Brighton an equaliser.

Strand Larsen twice nearly doubled Palace’s lead before they comfortably held on during six minutes of added time to seal a first Premier League win since a 2-1 success at Fulham on Dec.7.

Meanwhile, Liverpool’s new signing Jeremy Jacquet suffered a “serious” shoulder injury while playing for Rennes in their 3-1 Ligue 1 ‍defeat ‌at RC Lens on ⁠Saturday, casting doubt ‍over the defender’s availability ahead of his summer move to Anfield.

Jacquet fell ‍awkwardly in the second half of the ‍French league match and appeared in agony as he left the pitch.

“For Jeremy, it’s his shoulder, and for Abdelhamid (Ait Boudlal, another Rennes player injured ‌in the same match) it’s muscular,” ‍Rennes head coach Habib Beye told reporters after the match.

“We’ll have time to ​see, but it’s definitely quite serious for both of them.”

Liverpool agreed a 60-million-pound ($80-million) ​deal ‍for Jacquet on Monday, but the ‌20-year-old defender will stay with the French club until the end of the ​season.

Liverpool, provisionally sixth ‌in the Premier League table, will face Manchester City on Sunday with four defenders - Giovanni Leoni, Joe Gomez, ‌Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley - sidelined due to injuries.

Earlier, Manchester United interim manager Michael Carrick said he is relishing his spell in charge but will not get carried away with talk of taking the job permanently despite overseeing three wins from his opening three matches.

United have revived their push for a top‑four Premier League finish with victories over leaders Arsenal, Manchester City and Fulham in the past month, following a turbulent period that saw manager Ruben Amorim’s departure and an FA Cup third‑round exit.

As the club continues its search for a full‑time manager, Carrick said recent results will not prompt a hasty decision.

“I think I’m fully aware of the role I’m doing here and the responsibility I’ve got,” Carrick told reporters in Manchester ahead of Saturday’s Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur.

“We want to be successful. I want the club to be successful beyond the end of the season. If that’s me, if that’s somebody else at this stage, I can’t control that and we’ll see what happens.

“The results over a short period of time don’t change that. If they have changed that, there’s something wrong. It can’t be so knee-jerk either way, whether it’s really good or whether there are a few issues we need to solve. It’s steady progress, really.”

Carrick, who made 464 appearances for Manchester United across all competitions during his playing career, lifting five Premier League titles and one Champions League trophy with the club, added he is at home at Old Trafford.

Agencies