Crystal Palace again frustrated in a 0-0 draw against 10-man Leeds United, and boos rang out inside Selhurst Park. The same scoreline occurred midweek against Cypriot minnows AEK Larnaca, and again, supporters let their voices be heard.
It’s not only the club’s faithful who are growing weary of this season’s performances. Even Oliver Glasner admitted that today’s game was one to forget, despite the drama that unfolded.
As a result, Palace remain 14th in the Premier League table, 10 points above the drop zone with eight games left. Relegation is almost impossible but the team’s displays are a concern.
A dismal draw
The first half was particularly a sight for sore eyes, but the game finally came to life in added time. Dominic Calvert-Lewin missed a penalty before Gabriel Gudmundsson was sent off for a second bookable offence.
Jaydee Canvot riled up opposition fans when he celebrated Gudmundsson’s red card. The French defender clearly thought a one-man advantage would help Palace try to make it two league wins on the bounce.
That didn’t happen, though, as the Eagles couldn’t find a winner, and even when they found the back of the net, VAR intervened. Jefferson Lerma thought he’d scored late on from close range, but Brennan Johnson was adjudged to have been offside in the build-up to the goal.
Glasner’s men finished the game with fewer shots on target than Daniel Farke’s side. That’s despite the visitors playing the second half down to 10 men.
Glasner makes admission
Glasner gave his assessment of the game and admitted his troops weren’t at their best. He told BBC Sport:
“We could have done better, but we know that sometimes it can be more difficult [playing 10 men]. In a few other games we have been in a similar situation. We were getting nervous and taking the wrong decisions. We weren’t clinical enough in the final third.”
He added:
“In the end, a point and another clean sheet. It is progress. We have to stay calm and stay in our structure because I feel we are losing our structure then.”
Glasner was spotted in deep conversation with Farke at half-time. The Austrian shed light on this by admitting both acknowledged the poor quality on display:
“We were talking about that maybe this isn’t the nicest football game in the world. At the end, a draw is fair. Credit to Leeds for how they defended. We take this point.”
| Crystal Palace | Match Stats | Leeds United |
|---|---|---|
| 67 | Posesssion (%) | 34 |
| 12 | Shots | 10 |
| 0 | Shots on target | 3 |
| 5 | Shots off target | 4 |
| 447 | Passes | 221 |
| 8 | Corners | 3 |
| 5 | Offsides | 2 |
| 3 | Saves | 0 |
| 7 | Blocked shots | 3 |
Palace turn their attention to the Conference League and make the trip to Larnaca for the second leg of their Round of 16 tie on Thursday (March 19th). Glasner will need to see an improvement and a win, or else the season is over.
