Schlupp, up and away as 10-man Eagles take flight
IMAGINE busting a gut to get signed up to Amazon for this.
Desperate, dull and easily one of the worst Premier League games to be shown on any channel this season.
Jeffrey Schlupp, who came off the bench when Crystal Palace went down to 10 men following Mamadou Sakho’s red card in the 19th minute, scored a fine second-half goal that extended Bournemouth’s horrendous run of form away from home.
Victory sent Palace up to fifth. But it glossed over a poor game on a night when visiting boss Eddie Howe wanted a performance from his side with the spotlight on him.
The Cherries just cannot win at Selhurst Park. This is now four in a row in which they have failed to come out on top there.
Credit, though, to Palace manager Roy Hodgson for the courage and leadership his men showed on an evening when the chips were down.
Sakho, above, made the long walk back to the dressing room, handed a straight red card from referee Anthony Taylor for a high and late lunge on Adam Smith.
Hodgson turned away instantly. He knew.We all knew.
A bad night for Hodgson quickly worsened when Patrick van Aanholt pulled up with what looked like a hamstring injury five minutes later.
Still, Bournemouth were poor. A man up against a side with just one win in six, they should have been going for the jugular.
Instead, they bottled it.
Early in the second half, Callum Wilson fluffed a glorious chance with a poor touch at the back post from a Harry Wilson ball across the six-yard box. After that, the best chances fell to the 10 men.
Jordan Ayew and Wilfried Zaha both went close for the home team before substitute Schlupp picked up the ball in midfield in the 76th minute, swerved past two defenders and then powered home the winner.
“We had to keep calm [after going down to 10 men],” said Schlupp. “Everyone knew it was going to be tough but we definitely tried to win the game.”
On nights like this, Howe must be seriously tempted when the bigger clubs come calling.
As for Palace, it was not pretty but Hodgson and his men always know how to get the job done. Especially in adversity.
C PALACE (4-5-1): Guaita 7; Kelly 7, Tomkins 7, Sakho 4, Van Aanholt 6 (Schlupp 29, 9); Townsend 7 (McCarthy 46, 7), Kouyate 7, Milivojevic 7, McArthur 7, Zaha 8; Ayew 6. Sent off: Sakho 19. Goal: Schlupp 76. BOURNEMOUTH (4-4-2): Ramsdale 6; Smith 5, Mepham 5, Ake 5, Rico 5 (Francis 64, 5); H Wilson 6, Billing 6 (L Cook 82), Lerma 4, Groeneveld 4 (Fraser 64, 5); Solanke 5, C Wilson 5.