Crystal Palace handed Manchester City’s title hopes a deadly punch last night at Selhurst Park as goals from Glenn Murray and Jason Puncheon gave the Eagles a glorious three points to boost their hopes of a top ten finish.
It was a victory that many Palace fans didn’t want to predict but knew was something that was a possibility, considering the change in the clubs’ fortunes since the arrival of Alan Pardew who has now lifted the club to 11th, giving his former playing side the chance of finishing in the top ten for the first time in the modern era of the top flight.
Here are three things we learned last night in the 2-1 win under the lights of Selhurst Park, a place where dreams die:
GLENN MURRAY – THE SOLUTION WAS HERE ALL ALONG
In the Janaury transfer window and before that point, we all recognised as fans that we needed a prolific striker to help us to remain in the Premier League, as goals were hard to come by in the first five months of the season. But since the arrival of Pardew, the eventual transition of the way that the team play from the wings is creating more goals and to be fair, Glenn Murray who was sent out on loan under Warnock has done a tremendous job.
Murray scored his fifth goal in five games after tapping the ball into the back of the net after Scott Dann’s initial shot on goal deflected off Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart, into the striker’s path – making him the most prolific striker in the Premier League this season and the fifth in Europe.
You may argue he hasn’t had as much playing time as some of the other players included in these statistical lists but it is a statistic that is still largely valid and one that Murray and us fans can be proud of. His injury set-back at the end of what was a great season for him in 2012 means that he is only now getting a real shot at Premier League football and he is currently showing us and the league what he is capable of – he is a real threat and a workhorse; a player that needs to remain in the starting eleven next season.
JEDINAK WILL HAVE TO EARN HIS PLACE
Eagles skipper Mile Jedinak served the final game of his four match ban yesterday against Manchester City and will be avaliable for selection on Saturday against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. The 30-year-old received the ban at the end of February after elbowing Diafra Sakho in the face, towards the end of a fixture against West Ham in which the Eagles won 3-1 in East London.
The fixture against West Ham was the only game in which Jedinak has featured under the management of Alan Pardew due to international duty with Australia in January and the subsequent set back that he suffered with an injury that he picked up at the Asia Cup.
A lot has changed since that game in February as Crystal Palace have pushed on in the Premier League, securing nine points in four games with the only defeat in that period being against Southampton which was just days after the win against West Ham. Jason Puncheon has been playing well behind Murray in recent games and has shown that he can be included in a side that involves Wilfried Zaha and Yannick Bolasie, something that was always asked before each game – who is going to start on the wing? Bolasie & Zaha, Bolasie & Puncheon or Zaha and Puncheon?
There has also been stand out performances from James McArthur and Joe Ledley, seeing them both called up to their respective international sides in what was the first international break of the season. You couldn’t argue a case for Mile Jedinak at the moment for him getting back into his side as none of the players currently playing for the Eagles, deserve to be dropped – it will just go down to how hard he works on the training ground compared to everyone else. Jedinak will have to earn his place, nothing is guaranteed in football.
YOU CAN’T BLAME THE REFEREE FOR EVERYTHING
Last night’s fixture was a clear example of why technology is required in football. Manchester City fans would go on to say that it was a fix and every other excuse under the sun but if the referee or his assistants can see it, what are they supposed to do? Make an assumption over what happened?
A clear example of this was when Glenn Murray clearly handled the ball inside of the penalty area in the second half before City’s opening goal; replays showed after the game that there was no clear sight for the referee or either of his assistants of the incident, leaving them powerless to awarding a decision. Michael Oliver who was refereeing yesterday’s game was blocked by Yaya Toure, meaning he had to subsequently crouch to get a better view and by that time, the incident had been and gone.
If there was technology in place for him to look back at that point of play, I’m sure he would have – video technology is required in football and the only reason why it is very slow in being trialed and implemented is the scare of change. We are in an era where we can use technology, technology that is used in sports around the world and has been improving decisions; it will add time to matches but if it evens out the decisions in a fairer way rather than big team bias etc.. it is something that should be looked at.
