December 17 2017

James McArthur

Crystal Palace notched a 3-0 away win at an in-form Leicester side. Mike Scott looks the how the players performed…

The fact that Palace hadn’t scored a single goal away before this game in the league this season was something that many pundits were only too keen to remind Eagles fans of. That record was put to bed with a thrashing of the former champions in a game that also saw Christian Benteke break his scoring duck...

JULIAN Speroni - 7

The records keep on coming for Speroni, who kept his 100th league clean sheet for Palace by denying Leicester a goal. In truth, he wasn’t tested anywhere near as often as perhaps he would have expected to be. When he was called on to make a stop, which came in the form of an excellent opportunity for Riyad Mahrez which would have put the home side right back in it, he pulled out a blinder. Otherwise, he will be grateful that he had a quiet afternoon of it.

Martin Kelly - 7

Injuries at the back may be mounting up for Hodgson, but the squad is demonstrating its strength in depth, with Kelly putting in a good shift at right back. He made it into the side following Fosu-Mensah’s hamstring injury, but he put in a display that was much too solid for a man who is nominally the third choice for the position. He kept Demarai GRAY relatively quiet, which is not something many people have managed recently.

James Tomkins - 7

Tomkins was back to the kind of form he had been showing since his recall into the side, following a below par performance against Watford in midweek. Leicester stretched the Palace defence early on with a ball over the top to Jamie Vardy that caught the backline off guard; Tomkins ensured the same mistake wasn’t made again during the game. His partnership with Dann really is making it look like Palace can do without Sakho if need be. The only issue was the number of fouls committed in dangerous areas. Luckily the home side failed to capitalise.

Scott Dann - 7

Dann was again involved in one of the dramatic issues of the day, with Wilfred Ndidi being sent off for simulation after trying it on following a challenge from Dann. Other than this though, he kept under the radar nicely. He was lucky that Vardy tamely knocked a cross from GRAY to Speroni after he stole a yard from Dann, but that was one of the few times Leicester got the better of him. Like Tomkins, was guilty of a few too many fouls in scorable positions, but thankfully Mahrez had a less than inspiring afternoon.

Jeffrey Schlupp - 7

It was evident from early on that Schlupp meant business back at the club that had overlooked him and sold him on. Within the first few minutes, he’d put in a beautiful cross that Benteke failed to connect with and kept the forward momentum up for the majority of the game. At the back he kept Mahrez at bay, which is a serious job in itself. One of his best games of the season.

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Yohan Cabaye - 7

In the absence of Milivojevic, suspended due to picking up his fifth yellow card of the season in midweek, Cabaye played even more of an anchor role than even he usually does. Leicester’s usual counter attacking style was totally neutralised by the defensive midfield display from the Frenchman and McArthur. He also began the move that resulted in Benteke’s goal, which totally transformed the game.

He was swapped out for Jairo Riedewald (6) with six minutes to go, which hardly gave the Dutchman time to touch the ball, let alone affect the game. Good to see him feature though...

James McArthur - 8

In the first XI to replace Milivojevic, McArthur had an excellent game, dictating the area in front of the Palace back four. For the first few minutes, Palace dominated, but looked liable to be hit on the break. Soon, the high line was rectified and McArthur marshalled two lines of defence that Leicester simply couldn’t break down. He was there to double up for the full backs as well as the centre backs. Instrumental in keeping the clean sheet.

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Ruben Loftus-Cheek - 7

Leicester, despite being one of the biggest sides in the Premier League, had trouble with Loftus-Cheek’s strength and presence. Palace’s first really good chance in the game was a move involving Zaha, Beneteke and Loftus-Cheek, which unfortunately ended in the England man scuffing the shot. But it was a sign of things to come and the three of them, along with support from Schlupp, caused problems all afternoon. Most of the good balls to Benteke that were played on the ground came from Loftus-Cheek; he’s making that gap behind the back two his own. He also set up Sako’s goal with a beautiful counter attack.

Andros Townsend - 7

The one (minor) criticism of Palace is still that there are still not enough crosses knocked in for Benteke to play to his strengths in the air. Townsend is the only man who regularly tries to offer them; his ball for Benteke’s goal was as close to perfection as crosses come. He played in a couple of other beauties, including one just after the break on his less favoured foot that nearly gave the Belgian a second. Unfortunately, he couldn’t convert a chance to score himself, over-hitting a shot after a lovely set up from Loftus-Cheek.

Wilfried Zaha - 8

Zaha was (again) Man-of-the-Match, although he was one of a bunch of Palace players who had a great game. He scored the second, following an excellent set up from Benteke; but he still had a lot to do before he netted, taking the ball out wide in order to lose the last man, leaving himself only the bottom left to aim for. Aside from that, his link-ups with Loftus-Cheek and Benteke caused Leicester more headaches than they could deal with. The hosts began to lose their heads before half time with the amount of fouls he was winning; this helped eventually see Wilfred Ndidi get his marching orders.

Christian Benteke - 8

It would be easy to say Benteke had a great game because he finally broke his duck and scored the goal that changed the game. Once Palace were in front, Leicester were forced to take more chances and Palace took full advantage. But his performance was much more than just the goal. In fact, if anything, the finish on the header for the goal was still straight at the keeper and it was merely the brutal strength that saw it go in. But, aside from the goal, he was instrumental in so many of Palace’s moves. He set up Zaha’s goal, was on the end of several free-kicks and was the man to head out from a couple of Leicester’s set pieces and corners. OK, he was lucky not to score an own goal two minutes after he scored, but he still cleared the danger. Unfortunately, he’s now suspended for Swansea…

He was subbed for Bakary Sako (7) with three minutes to go. He did excellently at killing time after the winner against Watford, so Hodgson hoped for the same again. He got more than that, with Sako curling in a worldy from the edge of the box after a brutal counter attack from Loftus-Cheek.

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