Jean-Philippe Mateta gives Crystal Palace hope, Sunderland squander lead against the Europa League's WORST team - and free-scoring Brighton misfire in drab draw with Czech minnows

'After the dark the eagle rises,’ read the gigantic banner unfurled across one stand inside the Tupras Stadium.

For so long, against all expectations, against all form, it looked as if it was going to be the Eagles of south London, not of 10-man Besiktas, that soared on this night in Istanbul.

How much better this Crystal Palace side looked even with a half-fit Jean-Philippe Mateta leading the line. How much his performance, scoring what briefly looked to be the winner in his first start since the opening game of the season after a hamstring injury, showed what they have missed.

How much character they looked to have showed to turn up at the loudest stadium in Europe - ‘welcome to hell,’ as the old saying goes - with the worst defence in the Premier League, on the back of a thumping 5-0 defeat to Brighton that left Pierre Sage hanging by a thread, to come from behind and so nearly win it - only for, once again, their old failings to cost them victory.

Sage had talked of using the intense atmosphere that would be waiting for them to their advantage. He called on Palace to fight. And, for so long, they did.

Palace pressed relentlessly from the front and Besiktas could not deal with it. Mateta thought he’d scored his first Palace goal since the winner in the Conference League final last season when he rounded off one of many slick passing moves only for VAR to rule it out for a marginal offside.

Jean Philippe-Mateta's return to the starting line-up instantly made Crystal Palace look better and he scored

Mateta could have a bunch. He only just missed getting on the end of Adam Wharton’s cross, and then volleyed one of his corners straight at the keeper.

And yet, even without Mateta, it’s never been Palace’s willingness to attack that’s caused them all their problems. It’s been what happens behind it.

For most of it, there was such a better balance to Palace’s play. They were much tighter at the back, for so long they kept Besiktas to just a handful of shots. They looked compact, they celebrated tackles like goals.

But on this stage, you only need to switch off briefly to get punished and that, again, is what happened.

On the stroke of half-time, a simple long ball over the top found Wilfed Ndidi, who had raced forward untracked to latch on to it and drill it into the bottom corner.

Palace, to their credit, refused to crumble. They came out for the second half strong and despite the officials trying to rule out another goal for offside, levelled when Yeremy Pino scored from Anan Khalaili’s cross.

And then Mateta pounced on a poor back pass from Tiago Djalo and drilled his effort into the top corner.

But this Palace and they simply cannot rely on keeping the ball out. Daichi Kamada and Dario Osorio stood still to watch substitute Junior Olaitan drift past them and fire past Walter Benitez from distance.

Umit Akdag’s red card with 15 minutes to spare gave Sage’s side hope of snatching a winner but couldn’t find a way through.

The performance was so much better but it was the same old issues that clipped the Eagles wings once again.

Goalkeeper Robin Roefs looked to the heavens and shouted 'f***!’ Regis Le Bris stood brooding off stage. Sunderland had been breached, and it had been coming.

In a dismal domestic season for Sunderland, they have been able to count on their European travels for a sprinkle of light relief, however hard-fought. Until now, that is.

There is no papering over the cracks after a troubling night at Lech Poznan, where a strong starting XI that included Granit Xhaka hobbled to a draw against the Europa League’s basement boys.

It had all started so rosily when Timur Tutierov – a Crimean refugee whose very existence is a tribute to his resilience – scored his first goal for the club with a header after just 78 seconds.

But in front of one of central Europe’s more forbidding crowds, Sunderland failed to handle the frenetic, end-to-end pulsations of this game and eventually wilted.

To their credit, the Black Cats were on top for large swathes of the game, having 22 shots, but Nordi Mukiele, Malick Fofana, and Chris Rigg all saw chances go begging and the visitors were punished for their profligacy.

Sunderland drew 1-1 at Lech Poznan in the Europa League despite leading after just 78 seconds

Timor Tutierov had given Sunderland the lead with a header after just 78 seconds

But Leo Bengtsson spoiled the party with a deserved equaliser for the hosts in the second half

It is not the end of the world for Sunderland, who sit eighth in the Europa League standings, but it leaves much to be desired after narrow wins over AZ and second-tier Portuguese outfit Torreense.

To put the result in context, Lech Poznan arrived at this game bottom of the Europa League after 4-0 drubbings by Crystal Palace and Bayer Leverkusen. This is not the side who once beat Manchester City.

And for the 2,000 Mackems who made this trip, and filled Poznan’s Old Town with their songs, the performance did little to part the dark clouds which have recently congealed over the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland sit bottom of the Premier League with one point in their last five games and Le Bris, for all his brilliant achievements in the North East, has started to come under pressure.

There are no suggestions of the Frenchman’s position being immediately at threat – and there should not be – but even he has admitted that Sunderland have not been themselves recently.

A side known for their solidity last season have opened this campaign with a comedy of errors and ill discipline. They lead the way for mistakes leading to goals in the league, having already committed five. Mukiele recently accused his own team-mates of 'arrogance'.

This performance was no different, with Kevin Danso error-prone once again, and picking up a booking for dragging down Mikael Ishak while trying to atone for his own miscontrol.

Most worrying was the ping-pong feel of the game, which saw 32 shots, and several gilt-edged chances for the Polish side to snatch a win after Leo Bengtsson's 70th-minute equaliser. Roefs had to make an incredible double save shortly after the goal to hold off the hosts.

In the absence of Brian Brobbey and Wilson Isidor, Sunderland's front four buzzed around with energy, but the wastefulness will worry Le Bris.

Leeds are up next before a trip to Coventry on Halloween, with the chance for things to get hairy if Sunderland flop again.

Brighton drew a rare blank as they were held to a goalless draw by Czech minnows Jablonec in the Conference League.

The Premier League’s top scorers, who have scored 23 goals across their first seven matches, misfired badly in the foothills of the Jizera Mountains in northern Czechia.

Jablonec coach Lubos Kozel had said his side would need a “miracle” to get anything from the match.

It turned out they only needed a below-par display from the favourites to lift the trophy to take a point, and in fact they could have had all three.

Around 1,000 Seagulls fans made the trip from the Sussex coast to the homely Stadion Strelnice in the city of Jablonec nad Nisou.

These are heady days for their team, who lie third in the English top flight, fresh from Sunday’s 5-0 thrashing of M23 rivals Crystal Palace.

Brighton, typically so prolific this season, were held to a goalless draw by Czech side Jablonec

Boss Fabian Hurzeler, in his 100th match in charge, made eight changes from that memorable win with only Bart Verbruggen, Olivier Boscagli and the omnipresent Pascal Gross keeping their places.

They pinned the hosts in their own half for the first 20 minutes but Jack Hinshelwood’s shot was saved by Jablonec keeper Jan Hanus while Gross and Ibrahim Osman were off target.

Jablonec eventually got far enough forward to win a corner, which Antonín Rusek headed narrowly wide.

Goalkeeper Verbruggen also had to be alert to smother a cute backheel from Rusek.

But they were rare moments of concern for the Seagulls, although they were frustrated in front of goal in the first half.

Georginio Rutter was cleverly put through by Gross but flashed his shot across the face of goal and wide, and Boscagli fired over from long range.

Early in the second half Rutter’s pass found Osman, but his effort flew wide before Malick Yalcouye tucked the ball into the net, only to be flagged offside.

Then Osman’s reverse pass got Matt O’Riley in behind, but his fizzing ball across the six-yard box could not find Rutter.

Hurzeler had seen enough after Osman blazed another chance high over the crossbar, making four changes with Chema Andres, Luka Vuskovic, Yasin Ayari and Promise David sent on.

However, the changes had little effect and Jablonec were looking the likelier to score towards the end.

Rusek almost capitalised on a mistake by Joao Costinha before Verbruggen had to make a spectacular fingertip save to prevent Jiri Slama’s drive from hitting the top corner.

Rutter, who scored twice in Brighton’s opening 4-0 victory over Kauno Zalgiris, had a chance to win it in stoppage time but his snapshot was beaten away by Hanus.