Crystal Palace 1-0 Hull City

Crystal Palace’s impressive revival under Tony Pulis continued last night as the Eagles defended their way to a second 1-0 victory of the season over Hull City. Jason Puncheons seventeenth minute strike was enough to secure all three points for the home side and saw them climb to 14^th place in the Premier League standings, five points clear of the drop zone.

The position that the Eagles now find themselves was unthinkable just 2 months earlier, but the arrival of Pulis has heralded six wins and six clean sheets in the South Londoners last 11 matches, and once again this victory was built on solid defensive foundations.

The game began at a frantic pace with both sides carving out good early opportunities. The first fell for Hull Cities new front man Nikica Jelavic who just failed to get onto the end of a floated Shane Long cross. The diminutive Irishman was in the thick of it again not long afterwards as his burst into the box resulted in what appeared to be a clumsy challenge from behind from Palace defender Danny Gabbidon. The referee was unmoved however and gave a goal kick, much to the frustration of Tigers boss Steve Bruce on the side line. This was to be the turning point in the match, as not long afterwards Palace pounced to score the only goal of the game.

The rejuvenated Puncheon lashed in his third goal in four matches, and with it continued his mini-revival since the shambolic penalty miss away to Tottenham a few weeks ago. Good build up play down the right hand side for the Eagles saw Yannick Bolasie create a half yard for a cross which picked out Puncheon in the area. His initial header was weak, but fortunately came off the back of Palace striker Chamakh, and fell kindly onto Puncheons favoured left foot, and he duly lashed it high into the top corner to give the Eagles the lead.

Palace looked to capitalise on taking the lead and twice went close before the interval through captain Mile Jedinak. The big Australian first headed wide from a Bolasie corner, and then hit a stinging 25-yard free kick that forced McGregor into a sprawling save.

Hull came out stronger in the second half, but failed to break down a resolute Palace defence lead by the herculean efforts of Damien Delaney. Jelavic found himself on the end of two crosses whipped in from the left hand side, but both times failed to make a telling contact on the ball. Their best chance however came when full-back Rosenior got on the end of Jake Livermore’s pull back only to miss the target from all of two yards, and in one moment summing up Hull and Bruce’s evening.

And it was only to get worse for the travelling fans, as goalkeeper McGregor was shown a straight red card after kicking out at Palace substitute Stuart O’Keefe late on. The Scottish goalkeeper took exception to the Palace midfielder’s late challenge, and lashed out leaving the referee with little option but to send him off.

Man of the Match: Damien Delaney

Match Rating

Speroni – 6

Mariappa – 6       Gabbidon – 7         Delaney – 10       Moxey – 7

Ward – 7       Jedinak – 5

          Bolasie – 7         Chamakh – 8        Puncheon – 9

Jerome – 8

Match Preview – Crystal Palace Vs. Hull City

Tony Pulis’s risk in naming a strong side for Saturdays FA Cup defeat to Wigan backfired as Norwegian full-back Jonathan Parr picked up an injury that will keep him out of Tuesdays clash with Hull, with Dean Moxey likely to deputise for the injured defender.

Other than Parr, the Eagles have no new injury concerns, so will be without long term absentees Glenn Murray and Jack Hunt; and will be waiting on late fitness tests to decide whether midfield duo Kagisho Dikgacoi and Jerome Thomas will be able to participate.

Captain Mile Jedinak, winger Yannick Bolasie and centre-half Danny Gabbidon are all likely to come back into the starting eleven after all three were rested on Saturday. Paddy McCarthy is also likely to make the bench after completing his first 90 minutes for the Eagles in over a year in the defeat to Wigan.

Steve Bruce will be able to call on his new striking pair, Nikica Jelavic and Shane Long, for the first time as both are now available for selection after being cup tied for Saturdays FA Cup tie. The Tigers are still without Sone Aluko, James Chester and Joe Dudgeon, but have no fresh injury concerns ahead of the midweek trip to Selhurst.

Matty Fryatt will be hoping to push for a starting birth after his brace downed Southend on Saturday. Whilst former spurs pair Jake Livermore and Tom Huddleston are likely to come back into the centre of midfield after playing just a minor role from the bench last Saturday.

It was the Eagles who won the away leg 1-0 in the first game since Pulis’s appointment back in November, which gave them just their second victory of the season. Another victory tomorrow would see Palace go level on points with their visitors and potentially move the South Londoners into 12^th in the table.

The last time these sides met at Selhust Park Kevin Phillips scored a hat-trick in a 4-2 victory for the hosts. The veteran striker has moved onto to pastures new since then, and it will be up to the lively attack of Jerome and Chamakh to score the necessary goals for the team with the second meanest premier league defence in the last 10 games (5 clean sheets).

Score prediction: Crystal Palace 2-0 Hull City

Potential Line-up

Speroni

Mariappa         Gabbidon      Delaney      Moxey

Ward        Jedinak

Bolasie             Chamakh             Puncheon

Jerome

Wigan Athletic 2-1 Crystal Palace

The FA Cup holders Wigan had their Oman international goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi to thank for this victory that took Uwe Rosler’s Latics through to the fifth round of the competition. Crystal Palace boss Tony Pulis named a surprisingly strong squad for the tie despite crucial Premier League matches on the horizon, but despite this they still fell to their Championship opponents.

The Eagles started the brighter with on-loan Stoke City striker Cameron Jerome attempting a curling right footed effort from the edge of the area, after fine build up play down the right between Jason Puncheon and Chamakh. Al-Habsi in the Wigan goal though came to the rescue with a fine stop to turn it round the post, and it wasn’t to be the first time today that the Latics number one would foil the Palace attack.

A short while later, again after neat work down the right from Chamakh, Stuart O’Keefe found himself with a similar chance to Jerome, only to miss-hit his shot straight at the keeper. Then came the sucker punch for the visitors, as the home side broke away down the left with James McClean who made it all the way to the by-line before pulling it back for the onrushing former Eagle Ben Watson to side foot home to give the home side a 1-0 lead going into the break.

Shortly after the restart Pulis’s men continued their onslaught on the Latics goal with Al-Habsi again being forced into a sublime double save. Firstly the Wigan stopper scooped out Barry Bannans direct corner, before acrobatically turning over Puncheon subsequent volley. It was from a similar corner however that Palace would level it up. Bannan’s whipped in near post delivery eluded two Palace players before finding its way to Aaron Wilbraham who prodded home, from all of four yards, for just his second ever goal for the South Londoners.

Palace continued to push for the winner as full time approached. Substitute Dwight Gayle broke after a Wigan corner and ran fully 70 yards only to be denied by another fine Al-Habsi save down low to his left. It was to be a crucial stop, as late on the home side scored what would turn out to be the winning goal. Roger Espinoza played in the dangerous McClean who this time cut inside palace full-back Mariappa and slotted a left footed shot past Palace goalkeeper Julian Speroni to send Rosler’s men into the fifth round.

Match Preview – Wigan Athletic Vs. Crystal Palace

The Eagles come into Saturdays FA Cup fourth round tie with current champions Wigan Athletic off the back of a moral boosting 1-0 victory at home to stoke last Saturday, however with another crucial relegation tussle to come Tuesday evening against Hull City, it is likely Tony Pulis may feel the need to rest several key players.

Pulis has no fresh injury concerns, so with the exception of long term absentees Glenn Murray and Jack Hunt he has a full squad to select from. Club captain Paddy McCarthy could be in line for his first Palace start in over a year, after successfully completing 90 minutes for the development side midweek. Stuart O’Keefe, Johnny Williams and Dwight Gayle are also like candidates to get a rare start as Pulis looks to rest some of his key men ahead of the aforementioned Hull game.

Another youngster who performed well in the previous round, Hiram Boateng, seems likely to miss out this time around, as the 18-year-old academy starlet looks set to complete a loan move to League Two outfit Hartlepool United.

Wigan Athletic under new boss Uwe Rosler have been in sensational form of late, however last weeks 3-0 defeat at the hands of Doncaster Rovers may see the boss ring the changes for this cup clash. New signing Josh McEachran, who arrived on-loan from Chelsea this week is in line to make his Latics debut, whilst Palace old boys Ben Watson and Emerson Boyce could also feature.

These two sides are relative strangers having only met on three previous occasions in the clubs history. Last time out it was Palace who came out on top in a 2-1 home win in the 2011 League Cup, courtesy of goals from Johnny Williams and Darren Ambrose.

Likely Line -Up

Speroni

Marriapa       McCarthy    Delaney        Moxey

O’Keefe       Jedinak

Bolasie               Bannan              Williams

Gayle

Blackpool 1 Crystal Palace 0

Paul Ince gets his first win at home since taking over at Bloomfield Road courtesy of a fantastic late Matt Phillips strike that gave 10 man Blackpool all 3 points.

The win moved the Tangerines further away from the relegation zone. Meanwhile this was Crystal Palace’s third straight defeat and this latest set back sees them drift further away from the automatic promotion places, with a 6 point gap opening up between themselves and Hull.

The home side started the stronger of the two, and but for some fine reflexes from Argentine goal keeper Julian Speroni could have been 1-0 up inside ten minutes when Nathan Delfouneso had his shot saved.

Palace grew into the game as the half progressed and went close through the returning Wilfried Zaha and then Damien Delaney. Zaha brought a fine save from ‘Pool keeper Matt Gilks, and from the resulting corner Delaney managed to put his header over the cross bar.

Delfouneso continued his on going battle with Speroni and forced the Eagles stopper into another fine save on the half hour mark with a low drive that had the Argentine at full stretch. However the wind was knocked well and truly out of the home sides sails just before the break when captain Barry Ferguson saw red for a second bookable offence as he cynically scythed down Yannick Bolasie 40 yards from goal.

Despite playing against ten men for the entirety of the second half Holloways side failed to capitalise and struggled to break down a well drilled Balckpool defence. Top scorer Glenn Murray had two half chances, firstly failing to connect properly with a Jonathan Parr cross , and then only managing to find the side netting after being played in by Wilfired Zaha.

The sucker punch came for the Eagles just 5 minutes from time when Tom Ince cut in from the right hand side and laid the ball off to fellow wide man Matty Phillips, who curled a delicious first time shot into the top corner from 20 yards to score his first goal in 20 matches.

Blackpool vs Crystal Palace Preview

Crystal Palace head into this one without a victory in their past 3 matches and only one win on the road this calender year. The Eagles have conceded 7 in their past 2 matches and will be hoping to turn their fortunes around and keep their push for automatic promotion going against a Blackpool side who have won just once in their past 8 games. Paul Ince is still looking for his first home win in charge and has yet to see his Tangerines score at Bloomfield Road under his tenure.

There is added spice to this fixture as it sees new Palace boss Ian Holloway return to his old side that he guided to the Premier League only two years ago, after quitting the Seasiders earlier on in the season.

Team News 

Blackpool

Blackpool go into this fixture with no new injury concerns, with defender Ian Evatt (Knee Injury) and forward Gary Taylor-Fletcher (hamstring) the only two remaining sidelined. Chris Basham could deputise again after making an appearance last time out after suffering from a cheek bone injury.

Crystal Palace 0 Birmingham City 4

A dismal display from Crystal Palace saw them slump to a 4-0 home defeat at the hands of a rampant Birmingham City side, live in front of the Sky cameras.

After the disappointment of the 3-0 away defeat the Eagles suffered to their bitter rivals Brighton before the international break, Holloways men were looking to bounce back with a positive performance at home. Having not lost at Selhurst Park since the opening day of the season the omens were good. Birmingham had other ideas.

After a rather drab first 20 minutes in which both sides cancelled each other out, a fantastic bit of individual skill from young winger Nathan Redmond broke the deadlock on 24 minutes. Picking the ball up 30 yards from goal he dribbled past two Palace defenders before cooly slotting it into the far corner.

Palace looked shell shocked and it told again just 8 minutes later when from a vicious corner Eagles centre back Damien Delaney rose highest only to see his header thump into the back of his own net to make it 2-0 to the visitors.

Palace rallied before half time with Kevin Phillips and Glenn Murray both wasting good opportunities before the break, and then the two same perpetrators were guilty of missing two further golden chances in the opening 10 minutes of the second half.

The home side were punished for their poor finishing when the Blues other winger Ravel Morrison got him self on the score sheet after calmly side footing the ball beyond the Palace keeper. The win was sealed 5 minutes later when on-loan Newcastle midfielder Shane Ferguson curled home a delicious free-kick to complete the rout and give the away side all the three points.

Crystal Palace vs Birmingham City Preview

Crystal Palace welcome Birmingham City on Good Friday looking to put the disappointment of the 3-0 defeat to arch rivals Brighton well and truly behind them.

The Eagles sit just three points shy of an automatic promotion spot with Holloways men knowing that a win could see them end the day in second place and in the driving seat for automatic promotion.

Birmingham City on the other hand have been seeing something of a revival in recent weeks as a run of just one defeat from their past six matches has seen them climb into the top half of the table. A win for the Blues could see them hot on the heels of the top six and go some way to rescuing what has been a rather lacklustre season for them.

Team News

Crystal Palace

Wilfired Zaha is suspended following a one match man for his gesture towards Leeds fans in Palace’s last home game.  However Joel Ward, Danny Gabbidon and Alex Nimely could come back into the squad after all recovering from their respective injuries. Stephen Dobbie returns also after being unavailable for the Brighton game, however another loanee Jacob Butterfield has returned to his parent club Norwich so is no longer available. New Signing Aruna Dindane may feature, but is lacking match fitness. Paddy McCarthy and Owen Garvan remain on the long term injury list.

Birmingham City

Marlon King is the major absentee for Birmingham, with a knee operation keeping the Blues top scorer sidelined for the rest of the season. Peter Lovenkrands is likely to deputise is Kings place, however Jonathan Spector is doubtful to play thanks to an ankle injury.