Crystal Palace vs Southampton. Premier League.
Selhurst ParkAttendance25,393.
Saturday 3 December 2016 21:41, UK
Crystal Palace eased the pressure on manager Alan Pardew and pulled away from the drop zone as they ended a run of six straight defeats with a 3-0 victory over Southampton at Selhurst Park.
Birthday boy Christian Benteke scored twice but the Eagles also owe a debt of gratitude to Southampton's England goalkeeper Fraser Forster, who made a big blunder to hand them the lead.
Benteke (33) capitalised on the mistake and James Tomkins then doubled the lead three minutes later, as the home fans really began to enjoy their afternoon.
A lacklustre Southampton side were improved after the break but squandered a couple of chances and Benteke, who turned 26 today, put them out of their misery five minutes from time, Palace ending a run of six successive defeats in style.
The atmosphere was subdued during a quiet first half-hour, Benteke heading Palace's best chance wide while Sofiane Boufal had a shot blocked at the other end after a delightful piece of skill.
But the hosts were gifted a breakthrough when Forster decided to clear Jose Fonte's pass with his left foot, only for the ball to hit his right and bobble up and allow a disbelieving Benteke to slot into the gaping net.
Moments later, the hosts doubled their advantage. Palace have been vulnerable from set-pieces this season but the boot was on the other foot here as Joe Ledley flicked on Jason Puncheon's low corner, Tomkins afforded space to rifle the ball into the net from close range.
The mood around the ground was very different now and the home fans had a great time barracking the unfortunate Forster, whose error came in front of watching England boss Gareth Southgate.
Southampton posed a little more threat in attack after the interval and youngster Josh Sims, introduced from the bench, shot over the bar after cutting inside, before Wayne Hennessey kept out a near post header from another sub, Shane Long.
The ball bounced around from the subsequent corner, hitting the bar at one point after Virgil van Dijk's looping header, and eventually found its way to Fonte, who summed up Southampton's day by volleying a very presentable chance wide of the target.
And the visitors then conceded once again after failing to deal with another corner, Puncheon doing well to chase down McArthur's deflected shot and pull the ball back from the by-line to set up Benteke for another easy finish, which sealed the three points.
The welcome victory lifts Palace up to 13th and three points clear of the drop zone, while Southampton drop a place to 11th after a busy week ended in disappointment.
Player ratings
Crystal Palace: Hennessey (6), Ward (6), Tomkins (7), Delaney (7), Dann (7), Puncheon (6), McArthur (7), Zaha (6), Ledley (6), Townsend (6), Benteke (7)
Subs: Flamini (6), Sako (6), Kelly (6)
Southampton: Forster (5), Fonte (5), Bertrand (6), Soares (7), Van Dijk (6), Romeu (5), Ward-Prowse (6), Hojbjerg (5), Austin (6), Redmond (5), Boufal (6)
Subs: McQueen (6), Sims (6), Long (6)
Man of the match: Damien Delaney
