Roy Hodgson has heaped praise upon Crystal Palace vice-captain Gary Cahill following an impressive display on a return from injury in a 1-1 draw with rivals Brighton.
Hodgson offered further insights into the well-roundedness of the central defender, highlighting his presence and leadership on and off the pitch.
Speaking to Palace TV, Hodgson commented: “First of all he’s a very, very good defender.
“His position is very good, he’s exceptionally good in the air, he’s a strong challenger for the ball and a very good blocker of the ball. These are the defensive qualities we don’t talk about every day… They’re the qualities that get you the clean sheets.
“He’s also brought us leadership qualities, he’s been very good leadership-wise. He’s the best type of leader; he’s the quiet leader people don’t see from Row Z in the stand. He’s the leader we see in training week to week.
“We’re very fortunate, we have two very good leaders in that respect: club captain Luka Milivojevic and Gary Cahill, who I guess is a vice captain. And also Scott Dann.”
Palace were unfortunate not to claim all three points after a 90th-minute deflected shot from distance by Alexis Mac Allister nestled in the back of the Palace goal. However, Hodgson was eager to praise the team’s defensive performance.
“It was a really hard-working defensive display,” he said. “I think maybe in the second-half towards the end we were slightly guilty of protecting that lead, not looking to go forward and increase the lead, especially after [Michy] Batshuayi’s disallowed goal.
“Unfortunately these things happen – it was quite a large deflection that took the ball past [Vicente] Guaita to hand them the equalising goal, which, to be fair, they’re probably saying they deserved.
“It was certainly keenly contested; both teams fought hard. We came so close to taking the prize, but we were robbed of it right at the very end. But we weren’t robbed of the result because, in the second half in particular, Brighton asked a lot of questions about our defence. I’m very proud of our defence because they answered those questions until last three or four minutes.”
Read Crystal Palace Verdict
Hodgson was completely justified in singling out the former Chelsea defender for praise.
The defender demonstrated a stoic resolve during the game, commenting that “To concede late on with a direct ball down the middle is disappointing”.
Cahill also drew a red card following a clash of captains as Lewis Dunk was set off for a fierce two-footed lunge in a crowded penalty box.
Cahill, who captained in the heart of defence, saw his side face 20 shots but reduced this effort down to only 3 on target, conceding a lone goal. Palace made a staggering 31 clearances throughout the game too, exemplifying Palace’s defensive solidity.
