Well, well, well. I didn't have this one down as a 0-0 draw but there you have it! It is a result that favours Brighton ahead of the second leg at the Amex on Monday. The visitors were by far the better team in the first half but Palace fought back in the second. Overall, if anyone deserved to win it was Brighton, but neither side can really complain at a draw.

Zaha dribbles into the box and keeps hold of the ball for a long time before squeezing a cross in despite being surrounded by Brighton shirts. His cross is too heavy, though, and the danger passes.

Jedinak has led with his arm in aerial challenges a number of times today, and he does it again there. Something for the ref to look out for in the second leg.

SHOT! Palace are desperately searching for anything to give them a lead now, and Bolasie almost comes up with something special. Wilbraham lays the ball off to him, but his powerful strike flies a couple of yards wide. Good hit, but just not accurate enough.

There is still time for either side to win this one, though. Six minutes in fact, as that is the amount of injury time signalled by the fourth official.

The closing stages are being disrupted by a number of fouls now, and Brighton will be very happy about that. They will be in pole position to qualify as things stand.

BRIGHTON SUB: Brighton respond with a change of their own, bringing Barnes on for Orlandi, who picked up a knock in a tackle a couple of minutes ago.

CRYSTAL PALACE SUB: Palace make their final change of the day, and on comes Kevin Phillips. The 39-year-old has had a superb career, and you wouldn't put it past him grabbing the winner here.

Jedinak tries to dink a ball into the box, but he is from too straight an angle for it to cause any problems. It catches the wind on its way through, making it a little harder for Kuszczak, but he holds on to it comfortably.

Just as I say that, the match hits a small lull. It looks as if Brighton are just trying to tale the sting out of this one, and that is a wise move. They look happy with a 0-0 draw.

I would be very surprised if this match didn't have a goal left in it. It is getting more and more open as time goes on and surely there will be another chance in the final 10 minutes or so. It is Palace who are now applying the most pressure.

Palace have two penalty claims in quick succession. First, a deep cross finds Zaha at the back post, and his first-time cross back into the box is put behind by Calderon. Zaha thinks that it has hit the full-backs hand, but the ref is right to wave it away. From the resulting corner, Wilbraham is being manhandled in the box but gets nothing from the ref. There is always a bit of rough a tumble in the area, but Upson pretty much had him in a headlock there!

CHANCE! Palace are inches away from taking the lead! A cross into the box results in a goalmouth scramble that sees Dikgacoi poke it goalwards and Calderon forced to clear it away almost off his own line. That would've been controversial as Wilbraham, who played a big part in the chance, was clearly offside.

CRYSTAL PALACE SUB: That is another big blow for Palace as Williams limps off with what looks like a hmastring injury. He is able to walk off so it may be precautionary, but it is still more bad luck for Holloway's side. Yannick Bolasie replaces him.

Zaha tries to show his silky skills and quick feet and for a moment it looks like he has got away from Calderon, but the Brighton full-back gets an important toe to the ball to poke it out for a corner.

BRIGHTON SUB: Kazenga LuaLua is about to enter the fray here. He scored twice on the final day of the season and is a man in form. He replaces Buckley.

That injury to Murray seems to have affected Palace, and they have lost the momentum that they had built up at the start of this half. It is Brighton who are on top now.

SHOT! Again Hammond hits the ball straight at Speroni! In fairness, though, this was quite a good strike from the Brighton midfielder. Ulloa nodded the ball to him on the edge of the box, and his first-time volley skipped up right in front of the Palace keeper, who did well to hold on to it.

SHOT! Hammond finds space to shoot from almost 30 yards out, but his strike is fairly comfortable for Speroni as it is straight at him.

YELLOW CARD! In the midst of that injury to Murray, Kuszczak picked up a yellow card. He must have said a word out of place as, while Oliver was checking on the welfare of Murray, he suddenly turned to caution the keeper, who was very animated throughout the process.

CRYSTAL PALACE SUB: It is Aaron Wilbraham that comes on to replace Murray. Interesting that Kevin Phillips wasn't the man called upon. Palace are in need of a goal and there aren't many players in this division more capable of getting one than the veteran.

Murray is still down here and he won't be able to continue, but he looks in slightly less pain now than when it originally happened. Hopefully that won't be as bad as first thought. Better safe than sorry, though, and he will be stretchered off. That could be season over for Murray, though. I will be very surprised to see him back for the second leg. Big loss for Palace.

OUCH! A corner into the box is cleared as far as Murray, but as the prolific striker tries to turn his knee gives way and he goes down in agony. Immediately Brighton kick the ball out and Oliver urgently waves the physios on. That one looks bad.

Kuszczak's save did pop up and hit Orlandi on the hand, but there is no way you can give a handball for that. The two were right next to each other and there is no way Orlandi could have avoided the ball hitting him.

The home crowd is back in full voice now, responding to their side's improved performance in this half. This match is shaping up very nicely, and both sides look capable of scoring every time they attack.

OFF THE LINE! Oh we're so close to getting the opening goal, but Brighton scramble it away just in time. The free kick is met by Gabbidon and directed goalwards. Kuszczak makes a brilliant one-handed save but only flicks it up to Orlandi, who scrambles across to stop the deflection dending the ball over his own line.

Bridge gives away a cheap free kick on Williams in a good crossing position for Palace...

CHANCE! Zaha's ball was good, but Lopez may have just topped it. The Brighton man whips a phenomenal cross into the box from a free kick and Hammond gets his head to it. Again, though, his effort is straight at Speroni.

CHANCE! I wondered at half time where a Palace goal was going to come from, but it seems obvious now - Zaha. He is giving Calderon the runaround at the moment. This time he turns this way and that, tying the Brighton full-back in knots before putting a brilliant low cross into the box. Williams is inches away from getting a toe to it, which would have surely provided a goal. Very close.

This is much better from Palace, and suddenly it is Brighton who are sending aimless long balls upfield. The hosts have certainly begun this half as the better side and they look most likely to score at the moment.

SHOT! Zaha is already having more joy on the left than he did on the right during the whole of the first half. Again Brighton look to double up on him, but he cuts inside onto his right foot, beating both of them, before firing a shot towards the near post. It was a pretty tame effort, though, and the keeper easily collects.

Palace have started this half a little brighter than they were for moost of the first. They seem to be hungrier for the ball and there is a lot more urgency about them.

A quickly-taken free kick finds Will Buckley, but he lacks support and does well to buy a corner, which is the first of the match.

KICKOFF: Brighton get us back underway at Selhurst Park. No personnel changes for either side, although Zaha has switched to the left wing.

The players are on their way back out for the second half. The next 45 minutes will be a huge one in the season - quite possibly the future - of both these sides.

However, it is hard to see where a goal will come from after that first half. The only thing Holloway will be happy about is the fact that his side are still level as they haven't created anything going forward so far. As I said before, he will want Zaha to see more of the ball, but Murray also needs to make himself more of a threat as he hasn't been involved at all so far.

Ian Holloway will be fully aware of that fact. His side don't necessarily need a goal - a 0-0 draw would still see them very much in the tie - but he will know how good Brighton can be at home so he will be keen to gain an advantage going into the second leg.

If they can take a win into Monday's second leg then Brighton would be big favourites to qualify. They will fancy their chances of getting a result against Palace at the Amex, so any win tonight would put them in a very good position to book a trip to Wembley.

The lack of a goal is the only thing Gus Poyet can be unhappy with in that first half, though. His side have looked most like scoring, and he will just want more of the same in the second period. Poyet would have been happy with a draw before the match, but he could be smelling blood now and telling his side to go for the win.

The best two chances have fallen to Brighton. Ulloa had an early one with a stopping header, but his effort went wide when he should have done better. The best chance of the match fell to Hammond, who had a clear header from close range, only for Speroni to pull off a fine save. As good as the save was, however, if Hammond had put it a yard either side of the keeper Brighton would be ahead right now.

Zaha did get away from the former England international right at the end of the half, and he quickly set up a decent opening for his side. He has had a frustrating half as Brighton are doubling up on him and he is struggling to cope with the close attention. Even so, manager Ian Holloway will be telling his side to get the ball to him at every available opportunity. He showed a glimpse of what he could do when he skinned Bridge in the closing stages of that half, and if he can do that a couple more times in the second half then chances will surely come.

The visitors have enjoyed the lion's share of possession and have kept Palace's chances to a minimum. Murray, who has been scoring goals for fun this season, has had absolutely no joy up front so far, while Wayne Bridge has marked Zaha out of the game.

The referee brings an end to what has been a very good half of football for Brighton fans. They were on top for large periods and should be going into the break with a lead having squandered two very good chances.

Zaha finally gets past Bridge for the first time tonight and pulls it back to Garvan on the edge of the box. He can move it on again to Dikgacoi who is in acres of space in a better shooting position, but Garvan goes for goal himself and his shot is blocked.

We will have on minute of added time here.

SHOT! That is not one of Buckley's finest efforts! Bridge whips a deep ball into the box that eventually finds the Brighton man at the back post. He takes on his man while advancing into the box, but his shot ends up going out for a throw. He probably should have looked to cross there.

YELLOW CARD! Calderon tackles Williams from behind and subsequently enters the referee's notebook. That was a silly challenge to make, but Williams made the most of it and I think it's quite a harsh booking.

But for the lack of a goal, this has been a near-perfect first half performance from Brighton. They have not given the significant attacking threat of Palace anything to feed on and have had a few chances of their own.

YELLOW CARD! The first card of the day goes to Palace skipper Jedinak for a push in the back. That was a soft card on it's own, but I suspect that it was for an accumulation of fouls.

Zaha brings a high ball down brilliantly before turning to run at Bridge. Bridge uses all of his vast experience to hold the winger up, however, allowing a teammate to come back and, between them, they dispossess they youngster. They are dealing with him expertly at the moment.

The camera has just shown Neil Shipperley in the crowd. He has a special place in the hearts of all Palace fans having scored the winning goal in the 2004 playoff final. Will any of the current crop be able to match that achievement? They'll need to improve from this opening 35 minutes if that is to be the case.

SHOT! A lovely breakaway move from Brighton ends in disappointment as Hammond slices a shot wide. The visitors worked the ball into the box before Orlandi teed up Hammond on the edge of the box, but his strike was poor. That was a good chance to work the keeper.

Zaha drops deep to finally get himself on the ball and immediately shows a great turn of pace to race away from two men, one of whom brings him down.

In terms of playoff experience, Palace are veterans compared to Brighton. This is their seventh time in the Championship playoffs - a joint record - while Brighton are appearing in just their second.

Michael Oliver has a stern word with Upson, who must have said something out of place as it is Brighton's free kick. Still, it looks clear that Upson has had his last warning and the next foul will bring a booking.

That is better from Palace as Zaha pulls the ball into the box towards Murray. His initial shot is blocked and bounces out to Dikgacoi on the edge of the box, but his powerful strike is brilliantly blocked by Bridcutt.

The first half possession stat has just popped up and Brighton have enjoyed 63% of the ball so far. That is a dominant figure, and goes some way to explaining why Palace haven't really got going so far.

Gus Poyet will be very happy with his side's performance so far, but the only thing missing is a goal. They have had two very good chances to get one, and in the away leg of a Championship playoff semi-final, it is vital to take such chances.

WHAT A SAVE! That is a superb save from Speroni, but Hammond really should have scored! Buckley, as ever, makes his way down the right and pings a ball into the middle of the box. Hammond is unmarked in the middle and flicks a decent enough header towards goal from close range, but Speroni makes a fine reaction stop. That is by far the best chance of the match so far.

Brighton's start has certainly quietened down the home fans. There are still a few chants ringing around the ground, but it is nothing like the frenzied atmosphere that accompanied the start of this game.

Brighton have enjoyed the majority of the ball at the moment, and in truth they look the better side so far. Palace have struggled to get their most dangerous players involved so far, and Brighton look most likely to score.

CLOSE! A long ball forward towards Murray eventuall falls at the feet of Williams, who is not closed down by the Brighton defence. Williams chooses to let fly from about 25 yards out, and his low strike skids just past the post.

Zaha hasn't been in the game yet. He picks up the ball on the right but is very quickly closed down by Hammond, who puts in a good tackle.

Palace deal with the initial danger fairly comfortably, but Buckley and Jedinak then clash over a disputed throw in. It's all handbags and Michael Oliver gives them both a talking to. Clever refereeing not to book them there.

Buckley tries to take on Williams down the left and he draws a foul from the Palace midfielder. The visitors now have a free kick in a very good crossing position...

Palace patiently probe for an opening but eventually lose the ball and Brighton look to break. Orlandi has acres of space on the left as teammates pour forward in support, but the winger's cross is well blocked and the danger passes.

CHANCE! Moments later, Ulloa has the best chance of the opening stages but can only put it wide. Bridge beats his man down the left flank before sending a cross into the Argentinian, but his stooping header is off target. That was a real chance and he should have at least made the keeper work.

Brighton's first sight of goal is thwarted by the linesman's flag, but replays show that it was an incorrect one. Brighton may actually be a bit relieved at that as both Ulloa and Calderon should have done better. Ulloa was found at the back post with a good free kick but instead of shooting he cushioned it across to Calderon, who bundled it over the bar from close range.

Murray has his first sniff of a chance as Garvan whips a ball into the box. This time it is just too high for the striker, but expect to see a fair amount of those crosses today.

It's a bit of a scrappy start to this match as adrenaline prevails in the early stages. Both sides are a bit too excitable to hold on to the ball for a prolonged period of time at the moment.

Williams makes an early break into the box, but he is well marshalled by Bridcutt and can only run the ball out of play. Palace look keen to make a fast start to this one.

KICKOFF: And we're off! Crystal Palace get us underway amidst a cacophony of noise. There is a great atmosphere for this one!

A word also for Zaha today. The youngster hasn't exactly been at Palace for a long time, but he has been a good servant to the club while he has been there and he will be missed next season. This match is his last at Selhurst Park for the Eagles.

There is, of course, an added bit of spice to this match given the great rivalry between these two sides. Championship playoffs are always full-blooded affairs, but you can expect things to be even more heated today given that it is a derby match.

Neither set of fans, players or managers will need me to reiterate the importance of this match, but just for any neutrals out there, this is one half of a tie that will send one of these clubs to Wembley to play in the richest match in football - the Championship playoff final.

Playoffs are such delicately poised affairs that even a 2-1 loss like I predict would not necessarily be a terrible result for Brighton. They would fancy their chances of beating Palace at the Amex, so a draw, or even a narrow defeat, would be a very good result for Gus Poyet's men tonight. Of course, a win would be perfect, but Poyet's main priority will be making sure that they are still very much in the tie come Monday's second leg.

PREDICTION: We're nearing kickoff at Selhurst Park, so it's about time I made a prediction for the match. Brighton come into this match in vastly superior form to their opponents, but Palace have been so impressive at home this season that I can't see them losing tonight. Either side has the ability to win, but I think Palace will come out on top, so I will go for a 2-1 home win.

However, of those 23 games, only eight ended as wins for the Seagulls, who also drew nine times and lost six on their travels.

Brighton won't be too intimidated, however, as they have a pretty solid away record themselves. They managed to pick up 33 points from their 23 away games during the regular season - a tally that puts them fifth in the away table.

They established themselves as a very hard team to beat at Selhurst Park too, losing just twice there all season. They also drew eight times and won 13.

Crystal Palace will be buoyed by their home form this season going into this match. During the regular campaign, the Eagles had the third-best home record in the league, picking up 47 points from their 23 games. Only Cardiff and Bolton amassed more in front of their own fans.

Brighton returned the favour at the Amex, however, matching Palace's 3-0 win. Leonardo Ulloa bagged a brace either side of a David Lopez strike to gain sweet revenge for the Seagulls.

The most recent history is very interesting, not least the two matches between these two this season. Palace won 3-0 at Selhurst Park at the start of December, with the goals coming from Glenn Murray (2) and Owen Garvan as Brighton had to play 82 minutes with 10 men.

So, what about the history between these two sides? Well, it's pretty even all round really. They have met each other 12 times with Palace winning four and Brighton five. Of those 12 games, however, few would match the importance of the next two.

Behind Ulloa, 23-year-old Will Buckley has the ability to be a match-winner for this side. He has impressed this season, and Brighton will be looking to him more than anyone to provide creativity tonight.

As for Brighton, Leonardo Ulloa has been entrusted with the task of leading their attacking line tonight, although his nine goals isn't quite as impressive as Murray's tally so far this season. Still, the Argentinian has reached that tally in 17 games, and an average of over a goal every other game is a decent one for any striker.

They also have Wilfried Zaha, who was recently named the Championship Player of the Season. He may have other things on his mind at the moment with his impending transfer to Manchester United, and the managerial upheaval that is currently going on at Old Trafford, but Palace will want - and need - him to be fully focused tonight.

So, what can we make of those two sides? Well, Palace have plenty of attacking talent on show. Glenn Murray has been in phenomenal scoring form this season with 30 Championship goals to his name, and he will be Palace's most likely player to get his name on the scoresheet tonight.

BRIGHTON SUBS: Ankergren, El Abd, Barnes, Vicente, Painter, LuaLua, Crofts

BRIGHTON STARTING XI: Kuszczak; Greer, Upson, Calderon, Bridge; Hammond, Orlandi, Lopez, Bridcutt, Buckley; Ulloa

CRYSTAL PALACE SUBS: Price, Ramage, O'Keefe, Bolasie, Moritz, Wilbraham, Phillips

CRYSTAL PALACE STARTING XI: Speroni; Ward, Delaney, Gabbidon, Moxey; Dikgacoi, Jedinak, Williams, Zaha, Garvan; Murray

TEAM NEWS: The team news is in for both sides, and the home fans will be happy to see both Zaha and Murray in the starting lineup. They make just one change as Jonathan Williams replaces Yannick Bolasie, who drops to the bench. Brighton, meanwhile, have rung the changes and brought in five new faces. Full teams news coming right up...

They have also become quite the attacking threat in that time, finishing the season with the second best goal difference in the league. Champions Cardiff and third-placed Watford both edged the Seagulls in that respect by a solitary goal.

While Palace have not had the happiest of years so far, at least in comparison to 2012, Brighton have thrived since the turn of the year. They have lost just three of their 22 league games in 2013, picking up 11 wins in that time too.

They were helped largely but some very impressive end-of-season form. The Seagulls did not lose any of their last nine league games, a run that began with a 3-0 win over tonight's opponents.

In the end, they comfortably had enough to reach the top six, finishing seven points clear of seventh-placed Bolton. In fact, only two points separated them from Watford and, in the end, they finished just four points off an automatic promotion spot.

Brighton, meanwhile, have always been in and around the playoff places this season. It looked for a while as if they would miss out again, but poor runs of form from the likes of Palace and Leicester allowed Gus Poyet's men into the top six, and their eventual fourth place finish is a great achievement for the Seagulls.

That is in stark contrast to some of their form in the latter stages of 2012. They began the season poorly, losing their first three games, but a 14-match undefeated streak, during which time they dropped just six points, soon put them towards the top of the table.

In truth, Palace haven't been at their best for the whole of 2013. They have struggled to build a winning streak this calender year so far, with their best run being just two games.

It could have been so much better for Palace, though. Before their final day win over Peterborough at the weekend, they had not won in their last nine games. During that spell, they picked up just five points from a possible 21, allowing the chasing pack to catch, and ultimately overtake them.

We'll start by looking at our hosts tonight. Palace have been milling around the top of the league for the vast majority of the season and, at one point, looked favourites to go up automatically. However, a dreadful run of form towards the end of the season ended their ambitions of finishing in the top two, and they were forced to settle for an eventual fifth-placed finish.

That is the desired destination for both sides, but they have a lot of work to do if they want to get there. They can't afford to have one eye on a potential Wembley date tonight as, if either of these sides are not at their best, the other has the ability to punish them.

The next 90 minutes will be the most important in both these sides' seasons so far. A place in the richest game in football - the Championship playoff final - beckons. That game promises untold riches in terms of revenue for one club, as well as a trip to Wembley and Premier League football next season.

Good evening! Thank you for joining Sports Mole for what is a huge match for both Crystal Palace and Brighton & Hove Albion as they kick off their Championship playoff campaign at Selhurst Park.