Crystal Palace striker Christian Benteke was delighted to prove the matchwinner against Brighton on Monday night.

Benteke says he was “ready" to come on and make a difference for Palace, as his last-gasp winner secured a famous victory against Brighton at The Amex.

“It's a massive result," he said after the match, “we know that we were playing a derby against a massive side. We put our lives on the pitch. We tried to defend as much as we could, and I had a chance to score a great goal.

“It means a lot. We played against a good side and today was all about three points, and that's what we got. We can be proud – at times it wasn't easy, but we go all three points.

“The plan was to be compact, because recently we've been too open. We changed the tactic and tried to be closer to each other. It wasn't easy because we played against a very good side, but this was all about the three points.

“It was just about being ready when the gaffer needs me."