Brighton dominated the match pretty much from start to finish but classy finishes from Palace in each half sealed all three points and relieved some pressure on boss Roy Hodgson.
Mateta put the visitors ahead on 28 minutes with a very clever back heel after great work down the right from Jordan Ayew.
Brighton continued to push forward and finally got the equaliser they deserved in the second half when Joel Veltman smashed home with his left foot.
Adam Lallana, Leo Trossard and Ali Jahanbakhsh all missed chances to win the game but it was Benteke who struck with an excellent volley on 95 minutes.
Scroll down and click through to see Sam Morton's player ratings
Brighton continued to push forward and finally got the equaliser they deserved in the second half when Joel Veltman smashed home with his left foot.