Sheffield Wednesday 1 - 3 Palace

Sat Feb 2 2002 - League

Crystal Palace's promotion bid got back on track with a convincing 3-1 win away to Sheffield Wednesday.

Clinton Morrison scored his first away goal of the season when he put the Eagles ahead in the 31st minute.

He was put through with a one-on-one with keeper Paul Heald and looked off-side, but he calmly slotted home.

Dougie Freedman got the second goal after taking advantage of a poor back pass. Then Jamie Smith added the third after being set up by Freedman from close range in the 37th minute.

The Owls got a goal back when Efan Ekoku scored two minutes before the break, but the Eagles held out for a vital three points.

Man of the Match: Freedman - Scored one and had a hand in the other two.

Chant of the Match: "You're just a small team in Yorkshire" and "You're going down with the Stockport!"

Post match comments:

Trevor Francis said: "The front two of Morrison and Freedman will cause problems against better defences than Sheffield Wednesday.

"They are two very talented players who work as a good combination, by creating and scoring a lot of goals. They are a great plus for myself and the football club.

"We had a 10-minute spell which won the game. Since I've been here I have tried to install a resilience into the team. It wasn't a particularly good performance but we are learning how to win games and learning how to adapt to different conditions.

"In the second half we allowed Wednesday on to us too much but we always looked like we could hit them on the break. Also I can't remember Wednesday having a clear-cut chance so I was pleased with the way we defended the lead.

"There are a number of teams fighting to be in the play-offs and we are one of them. The key is if we can keep our important players fit."

Wednesday boss Terry Yorath said: "To concede three goals in six minutes is crazy. It is a huge blow, we had started so well and adapted to the conditions.

"But for their first goal we tried to play offside which was stupid as we never practised that in training."

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