Roy Hodgson delights as Crystal Palace halt West Brom momentum thanks to Luka Milivojevic penalty

BY SAM SMITH

Roy Hodgson was pleased that his Crystal Palace side dealt with the pressure he was expecting relegation-threatened West Bromwich Albion to apply in the Eagles’ 1-0 win this afternoon.

Luka Milivojevic’s 37^th-minute penalty, his first goal of the season, earned the South Londoners an important three points.

West Brom are fighting for their Premier League status and this defeat left them 19th on 18 points – eight from safety and teams around them have games in hand.

Hodgson expected the Baggies to view this game as an opportunity to boost their chances of survival. The Midlands outfit, who are managed by former Palace boss Sam Allardyce, had lost just one of their previous five matches.

The Palace boss said: “It was as tough a game as I expected and that we were prepared for. We knew what West Brom were going to throw at us, in particular because they must be seeing this as a real opportunity to get to the teams that are a little bit above them.

“So I’m delighted with the way the players did their jobs and dealt with what was thrown at us while, in the meantime, doing enough going forward to ask questions of them. Fortunately, one of those attacks brought the penalty that won us the game.

“It was always going to be a difficult game, so to come out the other end of it with three points, and to be that much further towards the total that we are aiming for, I can’t be anything but delighted.”