Palace hold on for a narrow win over Saints

Crystal Palace held on to claim a narrow victory, their third successive home victory of the season, against a tenacious Southampton at Selhurst Park.

Southampton improved markedly in the second half and were unlucky not to find an equalizer as Che Adams and Stuart Armstrong both went close and Palace nervously held on to the three points.

The defeat ends a run of three Premier League games unbeaten for Southampton, who held then league leaders Arsenal to a 1-1 draw last week.

Palace are 10th in the table, while Southampton are 16th, two points off the relegation zone.

Palace claim dominance as Southampton sit in

Palace are unbeaten in four of their six home games this season, with this their last in front of a home crowd before the World Cup break.

It is their first clean sheet of the season at Selhurst Park and the first time since May 2018 that they have won three consecutive home victories.

Apart from an early corner, which Palace goalkeeper Vicente Guaita had to clear, and a Che Adams shot that hammered off the post but was then flagged for offside, Southampton were under heavy pressure throughout the first half.

Palace should have opened the scoring earlier, when Eberechi Eze managed a neat little flick over his head to bring the ball under control and out to Zaha, who drove forward and slotted a wonderful ball across the box with Edouard inches away from getting a toe. to it.

Twice in the space of a few minutes, Eze fired the same shot from outside the area – both times he was in acres of space. The first was well saved by Saints keeper Gavin Bazunu, while the second went inches wide.

“In the first half we were really good,” Palace boss Patrick Vieira said. “[We] played good football, created chances but couldn’t score. We should have gone to half-time with more goals and that’s one of the sides of the game we need to improve.”

Palace have had to come from behind in all of their Premier League wins this season so far, and had also had a record of one draw and one loss when leading at half-time.

Southampton continued to lose the ball in dangerous areas, with most of the game in their own half.

The Eagles got a goal when Michael Olise released Edouard and the French forward parried a simple finish but Olise was offside in the build-up. However, Palace got their just reward when Edouard slotted past Bazunu for his third goal of the season.

“Southampton played really well in the second half and made it difficult for us,” Vieira said. “We needed to show something different and I’m happy with the attitude in a difficult period. We started the second half a bit flat and it became harder for us to get going.

“When we are in a good period of the game we need to score more goals. The team is growing and those kind of games and playing under pressure will give us confidence and belief and we will learn from those games.”

Saints game of two halves

Southampton started the second half much better when Adams tried to shoot just inside the area, forcing Guaita to step out and make a brave stop before Armstrong fired from a tight angle and the Palace keeper was again called into action to prevent the ball sneaking in. at the nearest post office.

Palace appeared unsettled by Southampton’s attempts to press and as the second half wore on Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side, who have now lost six of their last 10 games, saw the better of the chances.

Eze and Luka Milivojevic gave the ball away carelessly as sloppy mistakes crept in and Bazunu was a solid presence in the Southampton goal.

As was the case against Arsenal, Saints were much improved after the break when Adams went close again and James Ward-Prowse saw his shot from range go wide.

Although it was a more even contest in the second period, Southampton, who have won eight points from dropping positions in the league this season, could not grab an equalizer as Armstrong had done against the Gunners.

“We had the better chances and with the chances you have in the second half you have to take something, we certainly had the bigger ones and we know we have to score,” Saints boss Hasenhuttl said.

“We win together and lose together and we will get back up.”

Palace had a chance to kill the game in the closing stages when Jordan Ayew drove into the box but he was too slow waiting for the right moment to pick out Zaha in the middle and sent the pass straight to the feet of a Southampton defender. .

A 4-0 defeat at Manchester City earlier this month – Saints’ fourth successive defeat in the Premier League – increased the scrutiny of manager Hasenhuttl, but a third consecutive unbeaten run had helped ease that pressure.

Southampton’s half-time record now stretches to one draw and five defeats this season, and this defeat will be difficult for the Saints boss to take as his side had good opportunities to earn at least a point.

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