Crystal Palace enjoy plenty of control against Southampton but can’t turn that into three points

Crystal Palace failed to turn a mostly assertive performance into three points as they drew 2-2 with Southampton on Wednesday night. Although the Eagles were miles off from their best, they still had more quality in their ranks to punish a weakened Southampton side.

But despite Palace clearly outpassing their opponents – 448-299 – manager Patrick Vieira admitted they did not do enough to merit maximum points.

“I don’t think we deserved more than that,” said the Frenchman, distinctly unimpressed with the first-half display after Wilfried Zaha had made it a dream start by whipping the ball past Willy Caballero with just two minutes on the clock.

After opening the game with confidence that mirrored their early season showings, the Eagles badly went off the boil following Odsonne Edouard failing to connect cleanly with a pinpoint Zaha cross in the 22nd minute.

Palace had been in full flight during the first quarter of the game.

Picking up where they left off on Sunday against Everton by controlling the early midfield battle, Will Hughes executed a perfectly-timed tackle on Oriol Romeu to win the ball back and set Zaha on the counter-attack. The latter kept his composure to wrong-foot Willy Caballero and slot home his fifth goal of the season.

The following 20 minutes showcased a Palace side brimming with energy – pinpoint passes, ferocious pressing, and intelligent movement.

The South Londoners should have doubled their lead and killed off Southampton in their dominant spell. But, once again, Vieira’s side were left to regret their missed chances – James Tomkins only finding Caballero’s legs from a shot in front of goal and Edouard misplacing his effort.

Two stunning long-range shots picked the Eagles apart and put Southampton in the lead. Hughes was adjudged to have brought down Armando Broja 30-yards out from goal, allowing James Ward-Prowse the opportunity to strike a thunderous free-kick past Jack Butland. Southampton quickly doubled their lead when Broja took aim from distance with a sweet strike that left Butland – making his first Premier League start of the season – with no chance.

Vieira’s side continued to drop deeper and sink into their shells as Southampton took control of the rest of the first 45.

Palace re-emerged from the tunnel after half-time a different outfit, with Conor Gallagher driving the team up the pitch. An attacking substitution – striker Christian Benteke replacing Cheikhou Kouyate – saw the hosts switch to 4-4-2.

The Eagles eventually found the equaliser through Jordan Ayew, who ended his 43-game goal drought when he turned home Edouard’s deflected shot from a tight angle.

It was a thoroughly deserved goal for Ayew.

The 30-year-old has been producing plenty of graft during that lengthy lean spell, with only an elusive strike missing.

Vieira could be getting a manager’s dream player if the Ghana international can start to become more clinical in the crucial moments. Missed chances this season against Brighton and Manchester United from Ayew have cost the Eagles points.

Palace were the controlling force for the final 20 minutes but failed to carve out any real opportunities of note.

After suffering a four-game winless streak and three defeats on the bounce, Palace have stabilised and begun to find their rhythm once again. A significant component in pulling away from the threat of relegation has been the introduction of Will Hughes.

The 26-year-old, a £6million summer arrival from Watford, has unlocked the freedom and creativity of Conor Gallagher while also adding a tenacious bite and calming influence when on the ball – only Zaha (85) completed a higher pass percentage than Hughes (84), during the 90 minutes on Wednesday.

STAR MAN
Will Hughes. Completed his first 90 minutes since joining Palace. Another assured performance.

BEST MOMENT
Jordan Ayew ending his goal drought. He was applauded for his efforts when replaced by Michael Olise.