The lowdown on Crystal Palace 2 Southampton 1 – No classic but a much-needed win as Eagles pull further clear of bottom three

For the first time this season, Crystal Palace have more points than the fixtures they have played.

On Sunday, they closed 2024 with a 2-1 victory over struggling Southampton.

Here is Alex Pewter’s lowdown on the game.

THE LINE-UPS

Crystal Palace: Henderson, Chalobah, Lacroix, Richards, Munoz, Lerma, Hughes (Doucoure 86), Mitchell, Sarr (Nketiah 90+4), Eze (Kamada 86), Mateta. Subs not used: Turner, Riad, Clyne, Kporha, Devenny, Schlupp.

Southampton: Ramsdale, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Wood, Bree, Aribo (Ugochukwu 51), Fernandes, Walker-Peters (Manning 86), Dibling (Lallana), Armstrong (Archer 65), Onuachu (Sulemana 65). Subs not used: McCarthy, Bella-Kotchap, Taylor, Sugawara.

SNAPSHOT OF THE GAME

Palace boss Oliver Glasner said after the Bournemouth game that his team were targeting a minimum of four points from this pair of post-Christmas fixtures. It made this game against the bottom side in the Premier League as close to a ‘must-win’ as anyone is likely to have admitted.

Unfortunately for the Palace fans in attendance, their team made this game far harder than it needed to be. Despite dominating the opening stages, the Eagles fell behind after 14 minutes.

From then on, the side expected to win was having to chase a match against the bottom team in the Premier League. Fortunately, it only took until the 31st minute for Trevoh Chalobah to score his third of the season and level the scores—a headed goal from a corner that survived a VAR inspection for a foul on the goalkeeper.

Palace would have been disappointed not to establish a lead quickly in the following 10 minutes. First, Aaron Ramsdale prevented an Ismaila Sarr one-on-one chance, and Daniel Munoz had a close-range shot blocked by Kyle Walker-Peters at close range.

The home team didn’t have to wait long to take control of the game and the scoreline. Eberechi Eze produced a smart finish from outside the area.

The closing stages felt more nervous for Glasner’s side than they were. Southampton failed to take a shot after the 65th minute but had numerous set-piece opportunities to do so. In truth, it was Palace that should have doubled their lead but despite finding good positions, they could not do so.

It was not a classic, but it was a much-needed win for the South London side. The team has 20 points from the opening half of the season.

TACTICAL APPROACH

Since the Manchester City game at Selhurst Park, Glasner’s team has struggled to stamp their authority on the game in midfield, at least in possession. Will Hughes and Jefferson Lerma have endeavoured defensively, but their influence in progressing the ball has been limited.

Against a weaker Southampton team, the midfield battle was theirs. The knock-on effect, of course, was that with that pair of players interlinking with the backline, the play didn’t resort to being as direct as in recent games and Eze, in turn, had a higher starting position when receiving the ball – which added to his threat.

STAR MAN

Maxence Lacroix. There was no true standout but the summer signing deserved a lot of credit for shutting down Southampton defensively. At his best, his acceleration and pace ended openings for the away team before they began. Unlike in other matches where his last-ditch tackles have come out of necessity, this wasn’t required on this occasion, as he only made one. His ability to read and intercept the ball earlier in phases of play frustrated the Southampton forwards. A pair of interceptions and four recoveries won’t be his busiest day in the Premier League, but he’s a reassuring presence at his best.

BEST MOMENT

Freed from Desire hasn’t played at Selhurst Park since August, and it has been long overdue. Eberechi Eze hadn’t scored a league goal since September 1, away at Chelsea, and has been a talking point ever since. His 28th Premier League goal was memorable, giving the Eagles a lead in the 52nd minute. It was a short corner routine that Southampton initially dealt with but failed to clear entirely. The loose ball eventually fell to the England international 18 yards out, he cleanly struck the ball on the half-volley past a helpless Ramsdale.

MOAN OF THE MATCH

The defending for the Southampton goal. Having been on top for much of the opening 13 minutes, Palace allowed the Saints to turn a reasonably unthreatening attacking position into a can’t-miss opportunity for Tyler Dibling to open the scoring. Munoz will first be disappointed by the ease with which Walker-Peters bypassed him on his way into the area. Then, defensively, the coaching staff will be disappointed in how easily he found Adam Armstrong in the area and then how Dibling was left unmarked within the six-yard area for the finish.

TALKING POINT DOWN THE PUB

The team have done enough on the pitch now to set some of the relegation concerns aside but with a couple of days until the transfer window opens, signing reinforcements will become the focus for the club and fans.

Palace are keen on Slavia Prague’s left wing-back El Hadji Malick Diouf, which would be an encouraging start. However, the team still needs options in the attacking areas of the pitch if it is to maintain performances for full matches, especially against strong opposition.

WHAT THE BOSS SAID

“Everybody expected us against the bottom team at home, but these games are often the difficult ones. Today we were very strong from set-plays and scored the goals.”

PICTURES: KEITH GILLARD