A trip to the reigning Premier League champions was not as daunting as much as last season against a Leicester City team struggling to find any consistency in the league, despite looking a more than capable outfit in their debut Champions League campaign.
There was a distinct possibility of a recall for Yohan Cabaye in place of Joe Ledley after the Frenchman’s impressive appearance from the bench last weekend against West Ham United. I also thought boss Alan Pardew might drop Martin Kelly and take a punt on Zeki Fryers in the left back position. Instead, he went with with Cabaye replacing the injured Jason Puncheon and Kelly retaining his left back spot where I thought the Hammers exploited as a weakness..
Inspirational captain Scott Dann was again still absent through injury proving how costly playing him in the cup against Southampton was proving to be. He simply cannot return quick enough.
Expectations were high in hoping striker Christian Benteke would be determined to make amends for his penalty miss and score for his fourth successive away game.
Palace never really settled or looked comfortable against a improving looking Leicester City buoyed by their Champions League win during the week. The hosts started the brighter and played the ball round the park with far more accuracy and purpose.
A mistake by Steve Mandanda in the opening minute saw him receive a back pass from Damien Delaney and carelessly and without looking, kicked the ball straight to Shinji Okazaki who hit his shot curling high and wide of the goal. With a little more composure, the Eagles could well have been a goal down. A let off and very lucky not to have been punished as the French keeper, in his all change red kit, could only hold up his hand and apologise to his defence for what was a real lack of concentration.
It took a while for Palace to settle and get involved in the match where we seemed to eventually start asking questions of the Foxes. A wonderful chance for the visitors to take the lead came about after twelve minutes. A very good cross from Kelly found Benteke who leaped superbly in the eighteen yard box to guide the ball with his head only to see it cannon off the crossbar with Kasper Schmeichel well beaten. A further effort fell to Andros Townsend who hit a left footed attempt high to the left from outside the box.
Palace had the impetus and looked the team now showing more purpose and looking like the more likely of the two sides to make the breakthrough. But then Palace allowed Leicester to start to work their way back into the game, the impressive Riyad Mahrez pushing further forward and starting to pull the strings.
The midfield battle was being lost as both Ledley and James McArthur were being outplayed by Mahrez and Danny Drinkwater. Kelly once again appeared to be the weak link in the back line and for the second week running the opposition had realised and started to exploit this area.
Leicester nearly made their now sustained pressure tell. Drinkwater found Mahrez who curled a shot at goal from inside the box which took a glancing deflection off the head of Okazaki and went just over the bar with Mandanda diving in the wrong direction. It would have been cruel to concede but it was a warning that the hosts were now knocking hard on the door for that opening goal.
Just before the break a suberb effort by the recalled Ahmed Musa, after an assist by hard working Islam Slimani, hit a right foot shot from outside the box and into the bottom of the net giving Mandanda very little chance. His first goal for Leicester City but Kelly probably could have done better by closing him down before the chance came for Musa to shoot.
Mandanda would yet again have to wait another day for his first clean sheet in a Palace shirt.
It was a bitter blow so close to half time, but on reflection, deserved as the Foxes had been the better of the two sides leading up to the interval. Benteke had worked hard to make himself a real outlet up front but Palace just could not provide him him the service he needs. It seems that if you stifle the crossing opportunities, you stifle the only real goal scoring option. Was there no plan B? Pardew had to find a solution.
Half time and we were trailing 1-0 but still with every chance of getting back in the game if Pardew could rally the troops in the dressing room. Only Arsenal overturned a Leicester lead last season so the Eagles were going to have to up there game in the second half to repeat the feat.
Leicester again came out of the blocks showing more purpose and they had an excellent opportunity to extend their lead when a delightful cross from Danny Simpson found Slimani who glanced a header just wide of the goal. Zaha was working hard for the Palace cause after swapping wings with the under performing Townsend for the second half and causing the Leicester side problems with his strong mazy runs.
A corner from Townsend found Benteke and Tomkins who appeared to get in each others way as they both jumped for the same ball and the effort went wide.
With the champions looking for a second goal, it duly arrived. A foul on Musa was correctly waved advantage by referee Michael Oliver as Okazaki found Drinkwater who crossed the ball into the box. Damien Delaney desperately lunged a foot to clear the danger in the box but the ball fell to Okazaki who reacted quicker than anyone else and fired his shot into the bottom left hand corner with Delaney and Mandanda left sprawled inside the six yard box.
Joel Ward was once again not looking like the player of old as the Eagles struggled to show the same desire as the opposition. Improvement was needed as this league is unforgiving.
An opportunity did fall our way when a lovely ball was floated in by Cabaye and headed down by Benteke. It was McArthur who laid it through to an unmarked Wilfried Zaha inside the eighteen yard box, firing a shot low and hard at the bottom right of the goal forcing Schmeichel into a save that he did well to parry low down.
Pardew decided to make a double substitution bringing on Frazier Campbell on for the disappointing Townsend and Lee Chung-Yong for the also disappointing Joe Ledley with a little under twenty minutes left to play. Seeing Campbell come off the bench did not fill many with optimism and the lack of faith shown in Connor Wickham who was left sat in the dugout.
The impressive Zaha was turning on the style and he beat two Leicester players to put a low cross into the box that was met by the hard working and alert Cabaye. His initial effort was blocked and his rebounded left foot effort forced another good save out of the Danish goalkeeper.
Palace were forcing the play and a corner by Cabaye was met once again by the head of Benteke but the effort was cleared from going goal bound by Danny Simpson. Much better play from the Eagles despite trailing and showing their hard working qualities.
The final Palace change saw Kelly make way for Zeki Fryers in another like for like substitution for the second game in succession.
A Leicester corner from Mahrez was cleared by Benteke but the ball fell to Austrian Christian Fuchs just outside the box. Having not scored for the club before, he let fly a stunning left foot strike into the right hand corner of the net with ten minutes left to play. A quality goal giving Mandanda little chance, however, Tomkins could have perhaps been braver and put his body in the way instead of turning away. It was a cruel blow for Palace as the award of a corner was questionable.
Despite being three goals down, Palace to their credit did not lay down and kept battling away. However, the scoreline was harsh.
Another chance was created by Zaha who broke through in the middle and again found Benteke. The big Belgian ran towards goal but his shot was well matched by the Leicester keeper.
Palace were really showing their fighting spirit by continuing to plug away when it would of been easier to just give up. The tenacity finally paid off when another mazy run by Zaha found the equally impressive Cabaye who read the cross well and slotted the ball first time through the legs of Huth and into the back of the net. A well worked and deserved consolation goal.
Late on Mahrez broke through and found himself one on one with Mandanda after a mistake by McArthur in the middle of the pitch. The former Marseille stopper pulled off a quality block and catch to stop what looked a certain fourth goal.
The defeat was Palace’s biggest in the league this season and the first loss by more than one as they continue to search for that elusive clean sheet. The scoreline flattered the hosts, they probably deserved the three points for their finishing which is something Palace really lacked. Once again, there were too many under par performances from big name individuals who need to ask themselves if they could have done more.
Did Pardew pick the right starting line up and bench? Were the substitutions right? Only he knows.
On fire Liverpool at home up next, and we need to improve quickly at Selhurst Park. We go again and hopefully with Dann and Puncheon back in the line up.
CHECK OUT ALL THE STATISTICS YOU NEED FROM THE GAME IN OUR PREMIER LEAGUE STATISTICS ARTICLE
