Palace v Norwich: 7 talking points

April 11 2016

Jason Puncheon

The wait for a league win is finally over! Matt Pearce and Dougal Caston see what we can take from Saturday's 1-0 triumph over Norwich.

1. Puncheon makes the difference

Jason Puncheon finally grabbed his first goal of the season and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Involved in a couple of chances that didn’t go his way in the first half, the attacking midfielder scored the match winner with a fantastic finish from 20 yards to break the deadlock. In a tense, nerve-wracking game, Puncheon showed the touch of class we’ve been missing in recent games. What the numbers don’t show is the passion he showed celebrating his goal by the touchline, and what a huge lift he has been since recovering from injury.

It's Puncheon it's Beautiful 😍 #CPFC pic.twitter.com/cLa28D6EA9
— CPFCGIFS (@GIFS_CPFC) April 9, 2016

2. Full backs finally solid

Pape Souare and Joel Ward showed a huge improvement, having dipped in form over this difficult spell. Souare potentially had his best game in a Palace shirt, making vital blocks and clearances when Norwich looked most dangerous. Ward also put in some big challenges when it mattered, looking sharper than recent games. Both also got involved in the final third, Wardy even involved in the build up to the goal. The back four as a unit looked much more efficient, and Scott Dann and Damien Delaney matched the quality shown by the full backs.

3. Wilf on the bench?

Although he didn’t have any luck in front of goal, Wilfried Zaha looked positive when he came on. Given that he had such an impact, can we be keeping a player of his quality out of the starting line-up? A key player all season, Wilf has been one of the more reliable attackers in the side, especially during this tricky part of the season. Until there is an alternative of a similar quality, who has found form, it would seem unwise to not start him.

@bmintram pic.twitter.com/2rRUzYkY6w
— Rachel May (@rachelmay1990) April 9, 2016

4. Sako fails to deliver

Once again it wasn’t quite working for Bakary Sako, which was displayed with a frustrating switch of flanks with Yannick Bolasie at half-time. Poor movement and positioning led to sluggish play from the winger, who has failed to replicate his form from earlier in the season since returning from injury.

5. Gayle marooned up front

Dwight Gayle didn’t have a bad game, considering the system Palace employed. Trying hard to deal with the aerial balls he was given, Gayle looked threatening when the appropriate pass was played. With pace and a natural eye for goal, we all know he can cause a serious threat, but we yet again failed to fit him into our system. Our style fitted Connor Wickham more when he came on in place of the striker, but Gayle clearly has the quality – it is just a matter of how to use him.

6. Bolasie always works hard!

When running down the wing just isn't enough anymore! @YannickBolasie 💪🏿 pic.twitter.com/nzB7Ybj4oP
— CPFCGIFS (@GIFS_CPFC) April 10, 2016

7. End to the slump!

Finally, Palace claim their first win of 2016, sending them six points clear of Norwich and closer to safety. This desperately needed victory can hopefully act as a turning point and give us a boost for the final part of the season. The whole team put in a good overall performance, and while not perfect, it was an encouraging result. The lads finally managed to keep a clean sheet (even despite the attacking threat of Patrick Bamford and Paul Ruddy!!) and everyone pulled their weight to ensure that we maintained the lead in the latter stages of the game, where there has been a recent tendency to throw it all away. We can now all breath a sigh of relief!