MATCH FACTS
- Date – 28th January 2017
- Venue – Sehurst Park
- Attendance – 13,979
- Referee – Mike Jones
- Bookings – Kelly, Ledley, Mutch, Sagna, Toure, Sterling
- Goals – Sterling, Sane, Toure
- Star Eagle – Jeffrey Schlupp
TEB VERDICT
Disappointing cup exit against quality opponents but neither team were on form. It was familiar from Palace conceding both right before the break and right at the end of the game. Some would say that we can concetrate on the league but it is never fun to lose a game whatever competition, particularly after our exploits last season in the FA Cup.
PLAYER RATINGS (courtesy of Sam Smith)
13 Wayne Hennessey (7) – Couple of good saves and could do nothing with either of the goals.
2 Joel Ward (5) – Stand-in skipper had a decent game but failed to support the attack.
5 James Tomkins (7) – Unlucky not to open the scoring with a first half volley which was well saved.
34 Martin Kelly (6) – Kept City debutant Gabriel Jesus quiet with the help of Tomkins.
31 Jeffrey Schlupp (7) – Palace’s best player on the day. Defensively sound and energetic enough to support the attack. Crossing could be better at times. Unfortunate to limp off injured. Replaced by 19 Zeki Fryers (6) on 76 minutes who could be forced to play on Tuesday if van Aarnholt deals stalls.
4 Mathieu Flamini (6) – Quiet and very little impact, giving the ball away too often. Arguably his poorest performance in a Palace shirt.
16 Joe Ledley (6) – Struggled against the energy of the opposing midfield. Seemed slightly off the pace and lazy tackle led to third goal.
14 Chung-yong Lee (5) – Tried hard but with little impact. Unwilling to take on his marker, could be a sign of a lack of confidence. Won back possession a number of times.
22 Jordon Mutch (5) – Started well but faded extremely quickly. Failed to get close enough to Benteke which led to the striker’s flick-ons finding nobody. Replaced by 18 James McArthur (6) on 65 minutes but did not make an impact the little time he was on the pitch.
10 Andros Townsend (5) – Clearly lacking in confidence, far too predictable when in possession and poor defensively.
17 Christian Benteke (5) – Isolated up front and clearly taken off at the break to be saved for the game on Tuesday night. Replaced by 8 Loic Remy (6) on 45 minutes. Voley from eight yards should have found the net shortly after his arrival. Looked lively and his return to full fitness will be a huge boost.
Unused substitutes – Kleton Perntreou, Damien Delaney, Yohan Cabaye, Sullay KaiKai,
WHAT THE MANAGERS SAID
‘We’ve lost that habit of winning. Our game is okay in parts. We look quite good at times and then a mistake creeps in and the opposition punish us. Loic’s was the main chance. If that goes in the back of the net it may have been different. I’ve got more to worry about with the goals we’re conceding rather than moan about referees.’ – SAM ALLARDYCE courtesy of BBC Sport.
‘While it’s good to have a clean sheet because of the goals we’ve conceded lately, it is also important to score goals, which we did. We can play better but I’m happy and David was amazing the way he kept waiting and waiting for the right moment before playing in Leroy. We are also happy for Vincent. He’s had a long time away and he played 90 minutes with no injuries.’ – PEP GUARDIOLA courtesy of BBC Sport.
MATCH STATISTICS
- Total shots: 8 – 15
- Shots on target: 3 – 6
- Possession: 40% – 60%
- Corners: 3 – 9
- Fouls: 13 – 19
