Crossing Masterclass
It was no surprise to see that the goal in this game came from a cross with Southampton and Crystal Palace having the highest and second highest number of crosses in the league, respectively. It was a clear target from both the home side and the visitors to get the ball out wide and swing in dangerous deliveries to create goal scoring opportunities. Ultimately, Yannick Bolasie’s low, driven ball into Cabaye was the only telling cross of the match, but it was far from the only dangerous one.
Southampton were absent arguably their most prolific wide player in terms of crossing ability with Dusan Tadić, who has crossed the ball an impressive 91 times this season to average 6.07 per game, playing from the bench. Starting though was the man with perhaps the second most dangerous delivery in the team, in the form of Cédric Soares, with an average of 4.92 crosses per game, who definitely looked to threaten with balls whipped in from the right-hand side.
Palace currently remain the only team yet to concede from a set piece and their commitment to set plays at both ends of the park is clearly evident. Jason Puncheon delivered some superb corners in the first-half and the balls crossed in from open play bore many of the same markers. Similar to their opponents and the likes of the in-form Gerard Deulofeu, Palace looked to get in early to split the lines between defence and goalkeeper, forcing defenders to play at the ball facing their own goal.
Bolasie, who averages 4.93 crosses a game, showed an adaptability in his approach managing to get in behind José Fonte, beating him to the touch line and then drilling the ball across the six-yard-box for his teammate to tap in.
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