Wagner’s underdogs shock shaky Palace
ASK David Wagner and the Huddersfield boss will insist his team are the biggest underdogs in Premier League history. The bookies don’t disagree, with last season’s play-off winners odds-on to drop back down.
Yet this win over Crystal Palace was so simple, the away fans seized their chance in the second half. ‘On our way, on our way, to the Champions League, we’re on our way,’ they sang, before belting out: ‘We are top of the league.’
That they are. This was a sure start for Huddersfield, which largely came courtesy of their club-record £11.5million signing Steve Mounie.
It is one down, 37 games to go. Wagner isn’t getting over-excited and he laughed off the fact that Huddersfield, technically, are England’s top team.
‘You cannot moan about something if you play your first Premier League game in history, your first in the top flight after 45 years and you win 3-0 against Crystal Palace away,’ he said.
‘We will not change our identity because we are now in the Premier League. We want to stick to what we’ve done in the past because I think it makes more sense.
‘We are still progressing, we still have to improve. This is just one game. We don’t have to send statements to pundits. We just like to be focused on ourselves. What pundits say, that’s their job, they have to say something. We accept it. It doesn’t change how we work.’
As for Frank de Boer, he has work to do. Beaten by two crosses then a counter-attack, Sam Allardyce would have been appalled.
It was an own goal by Joel Ward then two from Mounie that gave Huddersfield a fine welcome to top-flight football after a 45-year wait. Their last win at this level was in November 1971.
Though Palace looked assured, with Wilfried Zaha a particular threat when not being fouled, it was Huddersfield who went closest with their chances.
The breakthrough — and an historic first Premier League goal for the Yorkshire club — came in the 23rd minute.
Aaron Mooy’s corner was helped on to the back post by Christopher Schindler, where Mathias Jorgensen was waiting. Ward bundled his header into his own net.
Three minutes later, it was 2-0. Another cross by Mooy led to a giant leap by Mounie, who used his head while his markers scratched theirs. Suddenly, this Premier League malarkey was looking a piece of cake.
But Palace were still a threat, Zaha squandering a one-on-one opportunity in the 37th minute when Jonas Lossl saved his shot with a trailing leg.
A crescendo of boos rang round Selhurst Park at half time, and De Boer had work to do.
The home side were knocking on the door in the second half and a thunderous header by Christian Benteke looked destined to make it 2-1, only for Lossl to beat it away. He was in one of those moods.
It should have been 3-0, done and dusted when Mounie had only Wayne Hennessey to beat in the 63rd minute. The 22-year-old striker took too long and it allowed Manchester United loanee Timothy Fosu-Mensah to deny him with a last-ditch tackle.
Then, it was three with 10 minutes to go. A counter-attack saw Collin Quaner square to Mounie, who hit a wicked right-footed shot beyond Hennessey.
Job done, and Huddersfield’s full squad celebrated by approaching their 3,000-strong away support to take a bow. Next up, Newcastle at home.