Magic Johnson performs slam dunk on Palace
JUST when you thought Crystal Palace’s awful season couldn’t get any worse, it did. Rock bottom of the Premier League, their fans now don’t even have the consolation of some Carabao Cup excitement after a humiliating night in Bristol.
And for poor old Roy Hodgson, who thought he had seen some light when his side stunned Chelsea 11 days ago, there was even a horror re-run of the awful Euro 2016 defeat which cost him his England job.
Hodgson might be focused on rebuilding his career at Selhurst Park, but up popped Iceland international Hordur Magnusson to revive his worst nightmare.
The Bristol City defender provided a carbon copy of the Aron Gunnarsson long throw which undid England on that catastrophic night.
With 39 minutes gone and Palace having just let in an equaliser, defenders Martin Kelly and James Tomkins froze as Magnusson hurled the ball into the box leaving City substitute Milan Djuric to drive it into the roof of the net. Admittedly Hodgson wouldn’t have been thinking of resigning after this one, however let down Palace’s travelling contingent of more than 2,000 fans must have been feeling.
He had made clear where the competition stood on his list of priorities compared to fighting relegation by making 10 changes from the side that lost at Newcastle on Saturday.
Unluckily Patrick van Aanholt, the one man who had kept his place, had already cost Palace a goal a few minutes earlier by heading the ball straight to Matty Taylor to volley home from eight yards.
The spell summed up Palace’s desperate season. They had started well enough with Korean Lee Chungyong stinging City goalkeeper Luke Steele’s hands after only seven minutes with a ferocious effort.
Steele, one of five changes made by City boss Lee Johnson, then fumbled a shot from Bakary Sako.
And when the Malian then ran on to Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s incisive pass before beating Steele in the bottom left hand corner it seemed there might be the chance of lasteight spot. But the lack of confidence running through the club was all too clear as City, who had already knocked out Watford and Stoke, went in front.
Lee Johnson’s side, beaten 3-0 by Leeds on Saturday to drop out of the play-off places, were even able to shrug off the loss of striker Famara Diedhiou to injury.
They have not reached the quarter-finals of the League Cup in all its various guises since 1989 but have now claimed three Premier League scalps. And boss Johnson, whose dad Gary once took the club to within a few minutes of reaching the Premier League when they lost a Wembley play-off final, has his side playing some neat passing football.
They completed the rout with some spectacular goals. Taylor worked the ball wide to Joe Bryan, who produced a spectacular rising shot from 25 yards to put City further in front.
Even then there was worse to come for Palace. Jairo Riedewald should have easily cleared his lines after City pumped a hopeful ball forward but instead sliced it to the feet of midfielder Callum O’Dowda. The Irishman took one touch before striking a left-foot shot from 20 yards that went into the bottom corner beyond the outstretched hand of keeper Wayne Hennessey.
There was much to admire about City’s performance, not least the commanding presence of centrehalf Aden Flint. The giant defender, who began his working life laying tarmac while playing non-League football, won everything in the air as Palace tried to recover some pride. In contrast, if Hodgson was hoping some of his fringe players would stake a claim to join the relegation fight, he was sadly disappointed.
Jason Puncheon, captain for the night, gave everything attempting to rally the team but the rest of them seemed resigned to their fate.
Hodgson stood alongside assistant Ray Lewington searching for some encouragement.
Even when a late shot was comfortably saved by Steele. It is that which perhaps sums up Palace’s season.