Gayle’s stupidity compounds Palace’s striker shortage.
Dwight Gayle did not, we can safely say, have a good first half. Not only did he pose little scoring threat, but he nearly actively ruined a goal for his team, encroaching into the box before Yohan Cabaye had taken his penalty, causing a retake. Adrian, for whom it would have been a fourth consecutive saved penalty, got a hand to the retake but couldn’t keep it out. Then, with Cheikhou Kouyate in a wholly harmless area of the deep midfield, Gayle decided it would be wise to lunge wildly for the ball, missing and crunching the Senegalese’s foot. A second yellow card it was, and the sound of faucets twisting, and the sight of steam rising from his early bath were heard and seen. Cabaye, who has scored three penalties, is Palace’s top scorer so far this season, which isn’t ideal. Connor Wickham is injured, and besides, hasn’t proven he can be relied upon to score consistently. Glenn Murray now plays (and scores) for Bournemouth. Strikers are not something Alan Pardew has been blessed with, and Gayle’s upcoming absence only compounds his managers problem.
