Manager Roy Hodgson criticises “overheated” players as Crystal Palace’s “bad spell” continues

BY ANDREW MCSTEEN

Crystal Palace suffered their fifth straight Premier League defeat in a row as they capitulated 2-0 at Aston Villa today.

After creating chances and looking untroubled for most of the first half, where they had an early Mamadou Sakho goal ruled out by VAR for an alleged handball, Roy Hodgson watched Villa striker Trezeguet capitalise on defensive mistakes twice, first in additional time of the first half, and then just under 15 minutes into the second, to seal the win – and even had VAR to thank when Villa’s second half penalty award was also overturned.

“It was a frustrating afternoon, I don’t think we were near anywhere we would have liked to have been,” said Hodgson.

“We played well in the game before [against Chelsea] and I was hoping we’d take that into the game [today] but we didn’t. Having said that, going a goal down after giving away an unnecessary free-kick on the stroke of half-time didn’t help our cause in any way, but I don’t think you can say it [Sakho’s ruled out goal] was a turning point in the game because it came after just 10 minutes, maybe not even that.

“We would have liked to have seen the goal allowed of course because it came off of Sakho’s shoulder and not his arm in any way, but it was disallowed, and we have to accept that. At least the VAR got the decision right when [Jack] Grealish was trying to get a penalty – it was pretty obvious that it was he who had actually stamped on Patrick van Aanholt so, at least, we were fortunate and didn’t suffer a double whammy when it came to VAR today.

“But the bottom line is that the decisive part of the game was giving away a free-kick and not being able to defend the ball that came in from the free-kick – and then of course conceding a second goal and giving ourselves a mountain to climb.”

After the final whistle players from both teams came together, resulting in Christian Benteke being shown a red card for kicking out at Ezri Konsa, something which means the Belgian striker will not play again this season.

“He is obviously not happy with the situation, but he wasn’t attempting to make any particular excuses,” said Hodgson when asked if he had talked to the player in the changing room.

“I’m afraid the game became somewhat niggly during the course of the second half in particular and that has also cost us very dear because as a result of that kind of atmosphere which was created during the course of the game, one of our players has done the inexcusable and kicked out at an opponent and managed to get himself sent off for violent conduct and he will miss the last three games of the season

“Unfortunately he [Benteke], like one or two other players, allowed themselves to get overheated in the game and fall foul, if you like, of some of the niggling that was going on in the course of the game and I think the scenes after the game do neither ourselves or Villa any credit.”

The three games that Benteke will miss see Palace playing Manchester United this Thursday at home, away to Wolves next Monday and the season finale at home against Tottenham a week today.

Hodgson was clear about what the team needed to do to turn around the slump.

“Keep playing, there is no other option for us,” he said. “We’re in a bad spell in terms of results, you play well intermittently but we’ve not been able to do it on a 100 per cent basis.

“With three games to go, they are very difficult games of course, we have no other option other than to pick ourselves up from this defeat and get ready to try and give Manchester United the best possible game we can give them on Thursday evening.”