Premier League Review - Stoke City 1-2 Crystal Palace

Match Facts

Date – 19th December 2015
Venue – Britannia Stadium
Attendance – 27, 500
Referee – Robert Madley
Bookings – Shaqiri, Afellay
Goals – Wickham (45), Bojan (76), Lee (88)
Star Eagle – Yannick Bolasie (8.5)

Match Review

Palace stretched their unbeaten run to three games as a late stunner from South Korean international Lee Chung-yong kept Alan Pardew’s side in sixth position.

It was the Eagles eleventh away win in sixteen Premier League games that Pardew has been in charge of, a run which has earned them plenty of plaudits from both pundits and fans.

The visitors to the Britannia had to start without the influential Frenchman Yohan Cabaye, as he was struggling with a heel injury so Welshman Joe Ledley stepped in and produced an assured performance at the heart of the midfield.

The first half was devoid of any clear cut chances. Stoke with their new found technical aspect in the side were always looking to cut Palace’s defence open but Scott Dann and Damien Delaney stood strong. Apart from an effort that came back off the post, they rarely threatened even with plenty of possession.

For Palace, as has been the case for much of the season, Wilfried Zaha was the outlet with his pace and trickery on the wings caused the Potters defence plenty of problems. On the stroke of half time, that trickery won a penalty. Irish international Glenn Whelan clipped Zaha as he was looking to turn and there was no hesitation from the referee Robert Madley.

Hard working lone striker Connor Wickham has played well since returning from injury, doing everything but get a goal, He stepped up and his penalty was one of power, lashing the ball straight down the middle to give the Eagles the advantage heading into the break.

The second half was dominated by the hosts but as we know, Palace are more dangerous when playing on the counter and with Yannick Bolasie in great form, it was him that nearly doubled the lead, racing past Glen Johnson but Jack Butland was there to stop the effort.

Stoke’s assault on the Palace goal continued, and they found it hard to get anything past Wayne Hennessey who followed up his fine form in the past couple of games with a handful of excellent saves. They did find a route back into the game courtesy of Bojan who fired a penalty into the back of the net but Hennessey was close to pulling off the save. The spot kick was warded after Damien Delaney failed to connect with his attempt at a header clearance and the ball hit his hand.

Both sides were looking for the winner but it was Palace who found one in spectacular fashion as late substitute Lee fired in an effort from thirty yards which flew past the despairing dive of Butland in the Stoke goal.

Palace held on to claim the win which puts them level points with Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur as the side heads to the South Coast to face a resurgent Bournemouth side in the ‘Mansion Derby‘ on Boxing Day.

Player Ratings (courtesy of Who Scored)

Wayne Hennessey (7.0) – For the third match running the big Welsh stopper had a big say with several excellent saves.
Joel Ward (6.8) – The busier of the two full backs but was not flustered at all.
Scott Dann (7.0) – The usual calming influence was much needed in the face of second half pressure by the hosts.
Damien Delaney (6.5) – The captain that loves a block led by example. Unlucky with the penalty call against him.
Pape Souare (6.2) – On balance, looked the least busy from the back four and got forward when opportunity arose.
James McArthur (6.3) – The effort on goal he managed in this game typifies the spirit of our Scottish midfielder, busting a gut to get on the end of a Bolasie centre was almost rewarded with a goal.
Joe Ledley (6.6) – Stepping into the boots of Cabaye would always be a tall order but not for our bearded genius. Worked well in the middle alongside McArthur.
Jason Puncheon (6.3) – Replaced by Jordon Mutch (6.2) on 79 minutes.
Wilfried Zaha (6.4) – Stretched his legs early on and set the standard. Fouled for the penalty by faded a little as the hosts took a stranglehold. Replaced by Chung-yong Lee (7.6) on 81 minutes and no-one could have expected the impact the South Korean was about to make. A late winner from distance oozing quality.
Yannick Bolasie (8.5) – Excellent performance one again as he continues to be a real threat and gave Glen Johnson a torrid time throughout which will no doubt have given him flashbacks.
Connor Wickham (6.4) – Worked hard and this time got his goal. A concern when he limped off early with what looked like a hamstring injury. Replaced by Marouane Chamakh (6.5) on 64 minutes worked his way into the game and went close with one good shot from distance.

Unused substitutes – Julian Speroni, Brede Hangeland, Patrick Bamford, Martin Kelly

Match Statistics

The Who Scored man of the match was Yannick Bolasie (8.5). Most shots (4) – Yannick Bolasie, Bojan and Xherdan Shaqiri. Most tackles (4) – Erik Pieters and Marco van Ginkel. Most dribbles (6) – Yannick Bolasie.

Team rating: 6.60 – 6.73
Total shots: 26 – 12
Shots on target: 5 – 3
Possession: 57.7% – 42.3%
Pass success: 80% – 70%
Dribbles: 9 – 8
Tackles: 18 – 15
Corners: 7 – 3
Dispossessed: 10 – 12