JOAO PALHINHA proved actual males put on pink.
The Fulham midfielder, sporting the membership’s scorching pink away strip, hit a jaw-dropping 20-yard screamer to salvage a degree at Brighton.
Joao Palhinha ranges for the CottagersCredit score: PA
The Fulham ace celebrates within the driving rainCredit score: PA
The gutsy Sixty fifth-minute equaliser got here after Evan Ferguson was heading in the right direction with the crispest of openers on 26 minutes to get the Seagulls flying.
For thus lengthy the insipid Cottagers appeared as if they’re nonetheless desperately lacking the killer intuition of Aleksandar Mitrovic after he bought his soul to Saudi aspect Al-Hilal in the summertime.
However that was all forgotten when Palhinha celebrated with the followers together with his arms outstretched in true Mitro model because the rain lashed down.
It’s onerous to imagine the Portuguese 28-year-old arrived for peanuts at £17m from Sporting Lisbon final summer time.
He as soon as once more confirmed why he’s the very best tackler within the Prem by a rustic mile and has a knack for scoring a long-range screamer.
However his brilliance is bittersweet, as a result of each red-hot efficiency may deliver an exit to Bayern Munich nearer.
Brighton began with vigour after selecting up their first-ever European win in mid-week.
Bernd Leno was pressured to make two blinding back-to-back saves, the primary tipping out a rasping Carlos Baleba shot earlier than utilizing his ft to disclaim Simon Adingra from level black vary.
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Kaoru Mitoma then flashed a menacing cross in entrance of purpose however Adam Lallana was unable to make the essential contact.
The ball then fell invitingly for Baleba however he may solely hoof it over the bar earlier than Simon Adingra additionally sailed it over.
Tempers flared when referee Michael Salisbury saved his playing cards in his pocket regardless of Palhinha shoulder barging Pascal Gross within the face.
A rainbow descended on the Amex and two minutes later the luck of the Irish arrived.
Igor Julio and Pascal Gross have been concerned within the build-up earlier than teeing up Ferguson who took a contact and cracked past Leno.
It was his fifth Prem purpose of the season – greater than another participant aged 21 or youthful.
Evan Ferguson put Brighton in entranceCredit score: Rex
The Eire worldwide was delighted together with his effortCredit score: Reuters
All Fulham mustered in response was a wild Antonee Robinson volley which blazed properly over, sparking chants of “what the f***ing hell was that”.
The Seagulls emerged from the restart with much more pep and it took simply two minutes for Lewis Dunk to crack the woodwork with a dipping and curling free-kick.
Marco Silva had seen sufficient and made a triple change on 57 minutes with Harrison Reed making manner for Andreas Pereira, Raul Jimenez for Rodrigo Muniz and Bobby De Cordova-Reid for Harry Wilson.
Brighton pushed for a second and as soon as once more Mitoma was pulling the strings as he performed in Mahmoud Dahoud who teed up Baleba, however he blazed properly over.
Dwelling followers serenaded Silva’s aspect to a rendition of “usual Fulham at all times dishonest” as Pereira complained a few foul.
However you could possibly have heard a pin drop as Palhinha equalised out of nowhere.
Alex Iwobi used his twinkle toes to go to Harry Wilson who linked up with Palhinha to rifle dwelling from 20-yards out.
Fulham have been loving it and Muniz almost backheeled in a second after latching onto an inch-perfect Robinson cross however Jason Steele did properly to put it aside.
Palhinha busted his nostril and needed to obtain remedy a lot to the house aspect’s frustration.
Robinson headed a Dunk effort off the road late on to avoid wasting Fulham’s skins earlier than one other flurry of Brighton probabilities.
Learn how the motion unfolded in our dwell weblog beneath…