Why do Crystal Palace and Brighton have a rivalry?

Crystal Palace & Brighton rivalry
(Image credit: Getty)

There's no love lost between Crystal Palace and Brighton & Hove Albion. It's a rivalry that was never based on location, though, with 37 miles separating the two clubs.

In 1974/75, extra police were deployed to control the 26,000-strong crowd in the first match between the two sides for 11 years, as Malcolm Allison and Peter Taylor locked horns in the dugout. During Allison's stint as Palace manager, he complained about overly physical tactics, while the games at Selhurst Park were sell-outs, with both sides vying for promotion. 

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Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.