MATCH FACTS
- Date – 26th December 2018
- Venue – Selhurst Park
- Attendance – 25,206
- Referee – Lee Probert
- Cards – Camarasa, Hoilett, Bamba
- STAR EAGLE – Wilfried Zaha (8.0)
TEB VERDICT
It was always going to be a big ask to live up to the heroics at the Etihad but this was a solid enough performance without the goals. With over thirty chances on goal, it is glaringly obvious what the problem is and had the Eagles converted a handful of them this season, a top ten position would have been likely. Having said that, seven points from nine, no matter how they have come, is a decent return from what had gone before. When you look at the points accrued so far, only one season in this run in the Premier League had Palace attained more points at this stage so while there has been a lot of doom and gloom this season, it has not been all that bad comparatively.
PLAYER RATINGS (courtesy of Who Scored)
31 VICENTE GUAITA (7.3) – Like most of the back line, the Spaniard did not have much to do but a strong arm preserved a point from what is the second time for him to do so since he has stepped in for Wayne Hennessey.
29 AARON WAN-BISSAKA (7.2) – Doing what he does, there is no other way to explain it. Just loves a good tackle and proved such on more than one occasion in this tense affair. More involved going forward and showed he has talent as a wide man from his youth team days which seem a long time ago now.
5 JAMES TOMKINS (6.9) – Hardly put a foot wrong in this almost constant offensive display. Regularly keen to get involved in the build up and weighed in more than once with passes to get the team moving forward.
12 MAMADOU SAKHO (7.0) – Probably given more problems than he expected from the diminutive lone striker but battled well to prevent any clear cut opportunities.
3 PATRICK VAN AANHOLT (7.2) – One of his better showings this season both as part of a solid back line and flying down the wing. Connected well with one effort which was blocked but would have been interesting to see where it was heading had it found its way through.
8 CHEIKHOU KOUYATE (6.9) – Missed the win at City due to injury but put straight back into the starting line up for this one and proved why. Good on the ball, battles well alongside Luka and makes up ground very quickly indeed.
4 LUKA MILIVOJEVIC (7.3) – Good game from the captain, his free kick from distance looked destined for the top corner but one of several efforts that pinged back off the woodwork. Survived unscathed while being one booking away from a ban.
18 JAMES MCARTHUR (6.9) – Once again, an integral part of the midfield make up, worked hard and driving forward at every chance. Like Luka, got through this one without a fifth booking for the season.
7 MAX MEYER (6.2) – Disappointing game from the German, needs to find his shooting boots and lost possession a lot which is very unlike him from what we had see so far. Still managed to contribute with the most shots on goal though. Replaced by 21 CONNOR WICKHAM (6.7) on 63 minutes in what was a very welcome return from the big man who provided glimpses of what it is like for Palace to play with a striker. Could have had a brace at least but will be disappointed not to have got onto the score sheet.
10 ANDROS TOWNSEND (7.3) – Understandable cries of ‘SHOOT!’ from the crowd when in possession in the early stages but really should have put Palace a goal up in the opening minutes which would have forced the opposition to abandon their game plan.
11 WILFRIED ZAHA (8.0) – Appeared a frustrating game but grew into it and looked better when returning out wide with the introduction of Wickham. Seems to have abandoned the going at defenders with pace and instead prefers the standing start approach. Understandable how he lets his frustrations get the better of him with tough challenges and close attention throughout but needs to learn to smile at the opposition, seeing him wound up only proves they are succeeding. Still almost provided that spark to win the game though.
Unused substitutes – 1 Julian Speroni, 2 Joel Ward, 6 Scott Dann, 15 Jeffrey Schlupp, 42 Jason Puncheon, 14 Jordan Ayew
WHAT THE MANAGERS SAID COURTESY OF BBC SPORT
ROY HODGSON: “I am pleased about the number of chances we created but I am not pleased we did not convert one of them. It is something we have had to deal with for a large part of the season. If we had more fortune in front of goal then we would be nowhere near where we are, we would have assembled a lot more points. Football is about scoring goals and taking those opportunities, which good goal scorers find a way of scoring.”
NEIL WARNOCK: “It would be the biggest achievement of my career by an absolute mile to keep Cardiff up. We are looking at bringing players in but it is not simple. We are not going to spend stupid money. One or two have done that in the past and it has not been the right thing for the club.”
MATCH STATISTICS
The Who Scored man of the match was Wilfried Zaha (8.0) while Max Meyer (5) had the most shots on goal. Sol Bamba (5) made the most tackles as Wilfried Zaha (8) had the most dribbles.
- Team rating: 7.06 – 7.03
- Total shots: 31 – 9
- Shots on target: 5 – 4
- Possession: 62.4% – 37.6%
- Pass success: 82% – 67%
- Dribbles: 14 – 5
- Aerials won: 22 – 24
- Tackles: 10 – 20
- Corners: 12 – 1
- Dispossessed: 11 – 5
POSITION IN THE TABLE
Palace sit 14th in the Premier League with 19 points from 19 games, three behind Brighton & Hove Albion in 13th and two ahead of Newcastle United in 15th.
NEXT THREE FIXTURES
- 30/12/2018 Chelsea (h)
- 02/01/2019 Wolverhampton Wanderers (a)
- 05/01/2019 Grimsby Town (h)
