March 19 2018

James Tomkins

Crystal Palace ran out comfortable winners away to Huddersfield in a 'six pointer' at the bottom. Mike Scott assesses the players.

The Eagles recorded their first 2-0 success since the pre-season game against West Brom in the Asia Trophy, avenging a 3-0 home defeat to the Terriers on the first day of the season.

In dire weather conditions, Palace put in the perfect performance, scoring a goal in either half to ensure they stay just a single point behind the Yorkshire side…

Wayne Hennessey - 6

Hennessey won’t have many easier afternoons in a Palace shirt, with the Welshman only having to deal with two shots on target, both routine saves. With Huddersfield rarely getting crosses in and making very little from their set pieces and corners, his recent shakey form with balls from the flanks was never in question. His clearances were excellent, considering the wind and snow and he looked assured whenever a back pass came in.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka - 7

Wan-Bissaka’s early Palace career shows no sign of slowing down, with another assured display. What little Huddersfield did create in terms of creative play tended to start from his flank, with Scott Malone and Chris Schindler offering overlap play with Aaron Mooy. Early on they did appear to be getting plenty of space, but once Townsend and Wan-Bissaka clicked, they barely looked troubled.

He was a threat going forward too. It was him that started the move that saw Benteke go down in the box, but not be rewarded the penalty he should have been. His thrown-ins are a real added bonus, too.

James Tomkins - 9

Arguably Palace’s most consistent player this season pulled out another vintage display and helped show, instantly, why the Sakho-Tomkins combination helped keep the Eagles up last season. His goal was the icing on the cake, but he was unlucky not to score a second from another corner, when Steve Mounie cleared his effort off the line.

Huddersfield had a lot of possession in the Palace half, but hardly any of this translated into shots on goal. Tomkins did well to neutralise Alex Pritchard in particular.

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Mamadou Sakho - 7

Sakho is often labelled as a risk taker and his mistakes are highlighted by pundits. He did make a terrible pass that almost put Steve Mounie in on goal, but a poor first touch allowed the Frenchman to get an excellent tackle in to dispossess the forward.

But aside from this, his balls out were so assured and coolly done that it underlined how much Palace miss him when he’s out. He gives everyone an extra breather, helps keep possession for longer and often helps begin attacks. The odd mistake is a small price to play for how much he offers.

Patrick van Aanholt - 7

Despite Palace’s narrow set-up early on, relatively few of Huddersfield’s forward moves came down Van Aanholt’s side. He also benefited from cover from Milivojevic and McArthur, who had an infinitely better time of it than they did against Chelsea. Only once did Alex Pritchard get round the Dutchman and Milivojevic was on hand to head out the cross.

Yet again, he had a real impact going forward, linking up well with Zaha and starting several moves, including one that saw Townsend strike a ball over after the ball had moved 80 yards down the pitch from Van Aanholt.

Luka Milivojevic - 8

Milivojevic made up for an off game against Chelsea with a commanding display. Within the first 10 minutes, he had stopped Pritchard from crossing, narrowly missed converting a free kick and nearly set up McArthur for a goal from an early corner.

A few sloppy passes aside, his influence on the game continued throughout. His set pieces worried them every single time; he won the majority of loose balls that came about from Palace blocks. And he was never going to miss the penalty, was he?

James McArthur - 7

Like Milivojevic, McArthur had the polar opposite game to the one he had against Chelsea. He looked sharp, tackled well, won loose balls and helped keep the narrow, strong shape in front of Hennessey that the home side had no answer to. He played the disciplined role from start to finish, only really getting forward for set-pieces, which is exactly what was required after the last couple of games, where Palace looked weak at times at the back.

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Jeffrey Schlupp - 5

Schlupp’s afternoon was brief, going off with an ankle injury that Hodgson has described as worrying, although not definitely a sign he’ll miss games. Up until that point he looked determined in the tackle, without having too much impact. He was replaced by a resurgent Yohan Cabaye (7), who looked refreshed after a period out.

Either side of half-time, Palace had trouble getting the ball out of the half, but Cabaye helped ensure that when they did, the counter was generally on. Towards the end, he looked to really influence the game, hitting one just over and rattling the upright behind the goal, before hitting another on the turn and forcing a fine save.

Andros Townsend - 6

Townsend usually benefits from Zaha playing, because he is afforded much more space, but for long periods of the game his forward play barely featured. He did win the penalty that sealed the game and had an excellent chance that he hit over, but his main work came from his defensive cover. Clearly, Hodgson was keen to address the defensive frailties of recent games; in his post-match press conference, he spoke of the forward players putting in a strong shift at the back. Townsend played that role excellently, again covering Wan-Bissaka.

Wilfried Zaha - 7

Like Townsend, Zaha was quiet for the first half (although he won the corner that Palace scored from), which is surprising considering how effective Palace were on the break and usually he is the catalyst for that. As the game progressed, with Huddersfield chasing, he got more and more involved.

His influence was demonstrated by the fact that three of the home side’s players were booked for fouling him. Each time, it helped kill any momentum Huddersfield tried to build up. And it shows, as if anyone needed any more reminding, that even an average Zaha performance is game changing.

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Christian Benteke - 7

The lingering feeling that Benteke was on his final warning, only perhaps keeping his place for the full 90 due to a hamstring issue for Alexander Sorloth, meant that he had to put in a good performance. And he did.

There was still no real point when it looked like he’d score, but he was involved in every break and every chance in open play, showing that he clearly does work harder and offer more when he’s in Hodgson’s 4-3-3 alongside Zaha and Townsend. He had a couple of headers, but they were little more than half chances. But as long as he keeps providing the assists that help Palace earn points, he’ll keep his place.