December 7 2019

Riedewald: Make shift left back in the second half

Crystal Palace played out a 0-0 draw with bottom club Watford.

Gary Cahill made a welcome return in defence replacing Mamadou Sakho who is suspended for 3 games after his red card against Bournemouth in midweek.

With Joel Ward and Patrick van Aanholt out for a while, Martin Kelly continued in the right back position and Jeffery Schlupp slotted in at left back.

Watford were being managed by former Eagle Hayden Mullins, who was overseeing his last game in temporary charge of the Hornets - with former Leicester manager Nigel Pearson taking over from next week.

The game was a very uneventful affair against the bottom two scorers in the league so far this season. In the first half there were no shots on target for either side.

The only notable incident in the first 45 was when Wilfried Zaha picked up a yellow card for a coming together with Christian Kabasele. Replays showed the Watford man stuck his leg out at Zaha causing the incident, with Zaha feeling hard done by.

Imagine booking anyone for this. Clear there’s an agenda on Wilf... Atkinson needs to be bog washed. pic.twitter.com/iQPS2xCQg4

— Hunter ???? (@HunterCPFC) December 7, 2019

Roy Hodgson was forced into a change at the break with Schlupp picking up a knock in the first half, who was replaced by Jairo Riedewald, making his first appearance in the Premier League since April 2018.

In the second half Gerard Deulofeu had a good chance for the home side, firing narrowly wide with a shot just outside the box.

Palace looked rather lacklustre in attack, with only three shots on goal for the whole game, with none hitting the target.

Watford almost snatched the win at the death, when Martin Kelly headed back towards his own goal and the ball was picked up Ismaila Sarr, who was brilliantly thwarted by Vicente Guaita, scrambling out of his goal to nick the ball from the African winger.

Palace's next game is against arch rivals Brighton at Selhurst Park on 16th December.

Palace: Guaita, Kelly, Tomkins, Cahill, Schlupp (Riedewald, 45), Townsend (Benteke, 73),

Kouyaté (McCarthy, 83), Milivojevic, McArthur, Zaha, Ayew

Subs not used: Dann, Hennessey, Wickham, Camarasa

Watford: Foster, Femenía, Kabasele, Cathcart, Masina, Sarr, Doucouré (Chalobah, 78), Capoue, Pereyra (Gray, 77), Deeney, Deulofeu

Subs not used: Gomes, Mariappa, Gray, Hughes, Success, Foulquier

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