Crystal Palace vs Southampton. Premier League.
Selhurst ParkAttendance24,914.
Saturday 12 December 2015 18:07, UK
Crystal Palace earned their first-ever Premier League win over Southampton thanks to a Yohan Cabaye goal.
In a pulsating match at Selhurst Park, Cabaye scored his fifth of the season in the 38th minute after good work down the right-hand side by Yannick Bolasie.
Ronald Koeman threw on substitutes Graziano Pelle and Dusan Tadic in an attempt to turn the tide but it was Palace who could have extended their lead through Wilfried Zaha and the superb Bolasie.
Wayne Hennessey in the Palace goal stopped a last-minute Shane Long effort and Southampton debutant Paulo Gazzaniga pulled off a series of stunning stops as both goalkeepers produced stellar performances.
The result leaves Alan Pardew's side in sixth position on 26 points behind London rivals Tottenham Hotspur while Saints remain in 12th.
It was the tenth anniversary of Palace's Holmesdale Fanatics - the club's self-proclaimed 'ultras'- and they were rewarded for their support when Cabaye finally broke the deadlock after mounting pressure.
A long kick by Hennessey found Zaha who popped a first-time pass through to Bolasie. The winger darted to the by-line before finding Cabaye six yards from goal for the French international to slide home.
The midfielder had already whipped in two tempting crosses from deep within the Southampton half and Bolasie's cross/shot was kept out only by a combination of Gazzaniga's glove and the crossbar.
In a fast-tempo match, Palace dominated possession and were kept at bay by a string of superb stops by Gazzaniga. The Argentine, who was brought into the starting line-up after Marteen Stekelenburg injured himself on Thursday, denied Cabaye and Connor Wickham in the first half and got down quickly to keep out Wickham in the dying minutes of the match.
His heroics were matched by his counter-part in the Palace goal. Hennessey pulled off a stunning first-half save to keep out a Steven Davis header and his one-on-one save from Long, who was put through by a Pelle flick, guaranteed all three points went to Palace.
Player ratings
Crystal Palace: Wayne Hennessey (8), Joel Ward (7), Scott Dann (7), Damien Delaney (7), Pape Souare (7), James McArthur (6), Yohan Cabaye (7), Wilfried Zaha (7), Jason Puncheon(8), Yannick Bolasie (9), Connor Wickham (5)
Subs used: Jordon Mutch (3)
Southampton: Paulo Gazzaniga (8), Cedric Soares (6), Jose Fonte (6), Virgil van Dijk (6), Ryan Bertrand (6), Victor Wanyama (5), Maya Yoshida (5), Saido Mane (7), Steven Davis (7), Oriol Romeu (5), Shane Long (7).
Subs used: Graziano Pelle (4), Dusan Tadic (4), James Ward-Prowse (4)
Man of the Match: Yannick Bolasie
