Crystal Palace are 10 games without a win in the league, after a 3-2 loss way to West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns.
The away side were their own worst enemies, after a horror first half saw them 3-0 down and staring down the barrel of an embarrassing loss.
West Brom opened the scoring in the 12th minute after some great passing between Saido Berahino and Salomon Rondon resulted in a parried shot being diverted into Craig Gardner’s path to knock in a simple finish.
Palace started the second half with more composure and found a route back into the game, following a defensive mishap from Jonas Olsson and Ben Foster presented that allowed Connor Wickham with the opportunity to beat the goalkeeper and tap into an empty net.
The Palace striker added a superb second goal with just 10 minutes left to give Palace hope of a memorable comeback, but it was too little too late as West Brom virtually secured safety in the top-flight, while Palace continued their horrid run of form.
A slow start for Palace proves costly
Palace started the game like a team fighting relegation battle. They were unable to engineer any decisive movement going forward, with many of their errant, allowing West Brom to pick them off in dangerous areas. These mistakes saw them conceded two early goals for failing to be bold and resolute defensively – especially the second goal when Craig Dawson basically competed for the ball unmarked, despite the fact their was a plethora of defenders who could have dealt with his presence.
Alan Pardew’s side appear to have lost their collective strength as a defensive unit, which is hurting them dearly. The Eagles may have felt aggrieved not to receive two penalties in the second half, however, they only have themselves to blame for chasing the game.
West Brom looking to galvanise fans
Last week’s ugly incident that saw Chris Brunt struck by a coin in their FA Cup loss to Reading was nothing short of disgraceful. Disgruntled West Brom fans have every right to voice their concerns, but this is disgusting behaviour. The players and fans needed a win like this to portray a unified front and it was impressive to see the home fans rally behind their team with such passion. In the 11th minute the fans sung Brunt’s name – paying homage to the No. 11 shirt he wears – which was a touching moment for a player who will have felt disenchanted with the fan base last week. More of the same from the Baggies faithful and they could help steer their team to a credible mid-table finish.
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