In the first M23 derby since the ‘Poogate’ whodunnit, Brighton once again failed to find someone who can win it.
The Seagulls were held to a fourth successive home draw and were left to rue their lack of cutting edge again as Palace held on for a first point away from home this season.
Brighton dominated as they renewed their rivalry with bitter enemies Crystal Palace at the Amex, meeting for the first time in the Premier League and in any competition since 2013.
But after all the waiting the game failed to live up to the hype and anticipation.
And there was to be no Brighton revenge for that unforgettable – for all the wrong reasons - semi-final play-off defeat four years ago.
That was the night Palace arrived at the Amex to find excrement in the away dressing room, sparking a guessing game over who was responsible.
Last night the waste was all on the pitch, in the form of missed chances, and Brighton were the biggest culprits as they matched an unwanted club record of four top-flight home draws, which they did in 1980 and again a year later.
Come the end of the season, taking only four points from home matches against Everton, Southampton, Stoke and now Palace could be costly.
The mild-mannered modern day managers of these two clubs, Chris Hughton and Roy Hodgson, could hardly be more different to Alan Mullery and Terry Venables, whose dislike of each other contributed to the start of this unlikely rivalry in 1976.
Not to mention the combustible duo in charge for that highly controversial last meeting Brighton’s Gus Poyet and Palace’s Ian Holloway.
But there was plenty of animosity in the stands and on the pitch.
The tone was set when Palace’s team was announced against a backdrop of piercing jeers from start to finish with the volume cranked up for public enemy no1 Wilfried Zaha, whose two goals won the 2013 play-off semi-final.
Palace fans responded by repeatedly letting off deafening smoke bombs, which is bound to land them in hot water. Two sent taunting red clouds drifting over the pitch.
On it the tackles were flying in. Palace old boy Glenn Murray took out Luka Milivojevic before Lewis Dunk did the same to the Christian Benteke.
Shane Duffy then got into the act by shoving Zaha into a cameraman behind the goal.
Eventually some football broke out in a first half the hosts shaded after their keeper Mathew Ryan produced a stunning double save to deny Benteke and Zaha.
Dunk then had a header plucked out of the air by Hennessey who also pushed away Jose Izquierdo’s thumping strike and denied Pascal Gross just before the break.
Brighton continued to ask the questions at the start of the second half.
Joel Ward headed Gross’ corner off the line before Dunk back-heeled another corner from the German into the side-netting.
Palace openings were few and far between and they were kicking themselves when Zaha flashed an inviting ball across goal but Benteke and Co were all on their heels.
Brighton went up the other end and went close three times more through Duffy, Stephens and Murray but there was to be no winner and only frustration for the Seagulls.
Brighton: Ryan, Saltor, Duffy, Dunk, Suttner, Knockaert, Gross, Stephens, Propper, Izquierdo, Murray
Subs: Kayal, Hemed, Goldson, March, Schelotto, Krul, Brown.
CrystalPalace: Hennessey, Ward, Tomkins, Sakho, Schlupp, Cabaye, Milivojevic, Zaha, Loftus-Cheek, Townsend, Benteke
Subs: Speroni, Van Aanholt, Dann, McArthur, Fosu-Mensah, Sako, Puncheon
Past the hour mark
One for the purists, this.
Or one for the smoke bomb fans, at the very least.
No goals at half-time
There goes the half-time whistle and it’s all square at the break.
It would be churlish to say the smoke bombs in the crowd has been the highlight, but ho hum.
Less than ten minutes before the break...
Halfway through the first half
Flares? Check.
Rough and tumble? Check.
Goals? Not yet.
Ten minutes in...
... and no goals to report yet.
Almost time
Jumpers for goalposts outside the stadium, while Roy Hodgson surveys the scene inside.
Almost time for kick-off...
The teams are in
We have our team news.
And they look awfully like this:
Brighton: Ryan, Saltor, Duffy, Dunk, Suttner, Knockaert, Gross, Stephens, Propper, Izquierdo, Murray
Subs: Kayal, Hemed, Goldson, March, Schelotto, Krul, Brown.
Crystal Palace: Hennessey, Ward, Tomkins, Sakho, Schlupp, Cabaye, Milivojevic, Zaha, Loftus-Cheek, Townsend, Benteke
Subs: Speroni, Van Aanholt, Dann, McArthur, Fosu-Mensah, Sako, Puncheon
Murray: Some Brighton fans have still not forgiven me for Palace switch
Brighton hero Glenn Murray says some fans have not forgiven him for signing for Crystal Palace six years ago.
Murray left Albion supporters devastated in 2011 when he quit the south coast for Selhurst Park and was branded a traitor.
And even though he came ‘home’ last year via Reading and Bournemouth - and scored 23 goals to help Brighton into the Premier League - he faces the Eagles admitting not all the wounds have been healed.
“It’s difficult to change people’s perception of you,” said Murray.
“I would like to think the goals have done it but there are still people out there who doubt me and just don’t like me for that one reason - that I joined a rival club”
The 34-year-old says the only reason he left Brighton was because Gus Poyet, manager at the time, didn’t want him. And the only reason he quit Palace was because he wasn’t wanted there either.
“It was the decision of the hierarchy really in both cases,” he said.
“So as far as I am concerned I just want to play games, score as many goals as possible, whereever that may be.”
Even so, Murray insists he won’t celebrate if he scores against his former team at the Amex in a match that could see Brighton move to within two points of eighth place.
He said: “I had four or five fantastic years at Palace, got supported really well by the fans. So I wouldn’t celebrate, no.”
Brighton have no new injury worries with only Steve Sidwell missing from the squad.
Hodgson warns Palace to keep their emotions in check
Roy Hodgson has warned his Crystal Palace players to avoid the hype of a derby and keep their emotions under control when they visit Brighton.
Bottom-of-the-table Palace travel to the Amex Stadium for the first time in four years, seeking their first point on the road this season.
“It’s important as a manager that you don’t add to the hype, because you need players to play with their head and their heart,” Hodgson said.
“If you put too much emphasis on the heart, maybe you don’t have the head.”
“I’m hoping to see a good performance and that we’re going to continue playing in the style we’ve been playing. You hope that something unfortunate doesn’t happen to you and that you get the rub of the green.”
Having lost eight consecutive league games without scoring at the start of the season, Palace have kickstarted their campaign in recent weeks, with eight points from six matches - including their last-gasp win over Stoke on Saturday.
Hodgson believes Palace will need to improve significantly to climb out of the relegation zone but said they are on the right path.
“I think the fans are starting to see a team that they can identify with better than the team they saw at the start of the season,” he added.
“I think they are getting some sort of belief that even though we’ve given ourselves a mountain to climb, there’s some chance we’ll be able to do that.”