MATCH FACTS
- Date – 15th October 2016
- Venue – Selhurst Park
- Attendance – 25,643
- Referee – Martin Atkinson
- Bookings – Benteke, Noble, Kouyate, Ogbonna, Cresswell,
- Red card – Cresswell
- Goals – Lanzini (19)
- Star Eagle – Jason Puncheon/ Yohan Cabaye (7.0)
TEB VERDICT
The great run of form had to come to an end but it was a disappointing end losing a game at home in such a manner. A real bad day at the office as the poor form against struggling sides at home reared its ugly head.
PLAYER RATINGS (courtesy of Who Scored)
30 Steve Mandanda (6.9) – Did what he had to do well and increased his likability among fans with a great piece of footwork with the ball under pressure.
2 Joel Ward (6.5) – The right back slot is slowly becoming an area of concern and while he battled well, Ward seems get beaten more often than he used to.
5 James Tomkins (6.6) – Solid display from the former Hammer only increasing his chances of starting alongside Scott Dann in future games.
27 Damien Delaney (6.0) – Sad to say but his days as a starter are diminishing week by week. The age is starting to show but that does not mean he is any less committed.
34 Martin Kelly (5.8) – Poor first half saw him replaced by 19 Zeki Fryers (6.2) after 45 minutes which proves that reinforcements are required in the back line when the transfer window opens.
18 James McArthur (6.3) – Suffered more than most through a lacklustre team display but covered every blade of grass as he usually does in an effort to get something going. Replaced by 21 Connor Wickham (6.1) after 70 minutes who got on the end of one very late chance which was well saved.
7 Joe Ledley (6.3) – It had been working but not in this game as the midfield battle was being lost. Replaced by 7 Yohan Cabaye (7.0) after 45 minutes who opened the game up as he found space with his passing and got stuck in throughout. Lucky not to concede a penalty.
42 Jason Puncheon (7.0) – Continued to try and find a way through the stubborn visitors throughout the game, always willing to pick up the ball from the back line and distribute.
11 Wilfried Zaha (5.9) – Did not see enough of the ball in the first half but in the second showed what he is capable of by putting the opposition defence under pressure. Needs to be a little more assured in front of goal. Great early chance but out the effort wide.
10 Andros Townsend (6.7) – Disappointing showing from the winger returning from England duty. His decision to take a free kick just outside the area and pass to an unwilling Joel Ward perhaps summed up the whole game.
17 Christian Benteke (6.3) – A real off day for the big Belgian after his international exploits. Awful penalty miss after sending the keeper the wrong way and a booking was the story of his game.
Unused substitutes – 13 Wayne Hennessey, 26 Bakary Sako, 14 Chung-yong Lee, 9 Frazier Campbell
WHAT THE MANAGERS SAID
“We did not start well and they got a deserved lead. We had to make changes at half time because were not playing with the fluidity as we have done. We were better in the second half and should have at least got a draw. With the penalty I was thinking with the week Benteke has had it will go in. That would have been a lifeline and would have turned the game on its head. This happens in the course of the season.” – ALAN PARDEW courtesy of BBC Sport.
“We opened them up really well and created chances. We produced a really good performance. The second yellow card was an extremely, extremely harsh decision. Those two decisions were not correct. I don’t like to moan. I’m the first to say it’s very hard for referees but those two decisions today. Thank God it did not affect the result.” – SLAVEN BILIC courtesy of BBC Sport.
MATCH STATISTICS
The Who Scored man of the match was Manuel Lanzini (8.50). Christian Benteke had the most shots (4) while Mark Noble made the most tackles (8). Michail Antonio had the most dribbles (6).
- Team rating: 6.40 – 7.12
- Total shots: 12 – 12
- Shots on target: 3 – 4
- Possession: 55.8% – 44.2%
- Pass success: 75% – 72%
- Dribbles: 5 -10
- Aerials won: 22 – 20
- Tackles: 9 – 26
- Corners: 7 – 6
- Dispossessed: 16 – 4
POSITION IN THE TABLE
The loss leaves Palace on eleven points and down to ninth in the Premier League table, a point behind Southampton in eighth and on the same points as Watford and Bournemouth in tenth and eleventh respectively.
