SORLOTH ON MARK AT LAST

ALEXANDEr SorLoTH’S first Crystal Palace goal earned him the praise of roy Hodgson as he sent his team into the third round of the Carabao Cup and knocked out a spirited Swansea side. The giant Norway striker — a £9million signing from FC Midtjylland in January — has had to play second fiddle to Christian Benteke since arriving at Selhurst Park. But in a tight game he proved his worth in the 70th minute, driving a leftfoot shot past Kristoffer Nordfeldt after being found by Jairo riedewald. ‘I thought Alexander was very good,’ said Palace boss Hodsgon. ‘He worked very hard, got his goal, and his physical statistics were off the charts. ‘He has been making steady improvements and he has worked very hard at his game. He provides us with a good target option as a centre forward like Christian and he is a good player for us.’ Swansea made 10 changes, with 19-year-old Yan Dhanda impressing on the left, while Palace changed nine. Dan James had chances to put the hosts ahead but Palace went close through Jason Puncheon, Martin Kelly and Sorloth twice in the first half before he finally scored in the second. Swansea boss Graham Potter said: ‘I’m disappointed with the result, but I’m proud of the players and the courage they showed. Yan had a good game and I thought we played well. We created chances and overall I’m very happy.’