Olise shambles leaves Roy’s reign in tatters
ASa forlorn Roy Hodgson gazed towards an away end that was more sparsely populated with every passing minute, it perhaps crossed his mind that things are only going to get tougher.
a hard- fought victory over Sheffield United last Tuesday should have been the moment that Crystal Palace’s season took flight. Instead, a 4-1 thumping at the hands of bitter rivals Brighton was another painful reminder of how the Eagles’ wings have been clipped this season.
Hodgson could call on Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise for only the fourth time this season against the Blades, and they delivered in style with Eze bagging two goals, both assisted by Olise, who then netted the winner.
‘The quality those boys possess, you could see it lit up Palace,’ said rueful Blades manager Chris Wilder that night. ‘I’m not sure Palace would accept £50million for (either) of them. They can destroy your game plan.’ Fast forward four days and it was Hodgson’s game plan in tatters.
There was no Eze in the squad against Brighton after he limped off against Sheffield United with a hamstring injury.
and to rub salt in the wounds, Olise was forced off with a recurrence of his hamstring injury nine minutes after coming on at the break, by which point his side were 3-0 down.
‘We were unfortunate in losing Marc Guehi to injury (in the first half) and then losing Michael again so that’s probably the worst aspect of the day,’ said Hodgson.
‘They (medical team) told me and he (Olise) told me that he was fine to be on the bench. Unfortunately because I don’t have a crystal ball and I don’t have hindsight, I wasn’t to know that was going to lead to him getting a recurrence of his injury.
‘It’s not easy when you’ve got a player of his quality to say, “I know we brought you here to play in the second half but I’ve changed my mind, so you just sit on the bench and watch it”.’
It’s unlikely even Eze and Olise would have changed this result as Brighton bossed it from the first minute to secure their biggest victory in the fixture since 1956.
Lewis Dunk set the hosts on their way in the third minute, heading in Pascal Gross’s corner, before academy star Jack Hinshelwood made it 2-0. Shortly after, Facundo Buonanotte netted his third of the season.
Jean-Philippe Mateta pulled one back for the visitors but Joao Pedro struck Brighton’s fourth to cap a miserable afternoon for Hodgson. It stretched Palace’s
recent record to two wins in 14 games, a run which has done little to appease a fanbase who were already at loggerheads with the club’s owners.
Things may not get any easier, with Chelsea next before huge games against Everton and Burnley, where Palace look set to be without Eze, Olise and Guehi.
‘We were rather hoping to build with Eze and Olise back,’ said Hodgson. ‘all of a sudden that’s been turned on its head but football does that to you. There’s no point keeping complaining or lamenting the facts.’
BRIGHTON (3-5-2): Verbruggen 7; Van Hecke 7, Dunk 7, Julio 6.5 (Fati 88min); Hinshelwood 7.5, Gross 8, Gilmour 7, Buonanotte 8 (Baleba 80), Lamptey 7.5 (Estupinan 80); PEDRO 8.5 (Lallana 88), Ferguson 6.5 (Welbeck 69, 7).
Scorers: Dunk 3, Hinshelwood 33, Buonanotte 34, Pedro 85.
Booked: De Zerbi 7, Welbeck 90+2.
Manager: Roberto De Zerbi 7.5.
CRYSTAL PALACE (4-2-3-1): Henderson 5; Munoz 6, Guehi 5 (Wharton 28, 5.5), Andersen 5.5, Mitchell 5; Richards 6, Lerma 5; Ayew 5, Hughes 5 (Edouard 80), Schlupp 5.5 (Olise 46, 5; Franca 56, 5.5); Mateta 5.5 (Ahamada 80). Scorer: Mateta 71. Booked: Guehi 16, Franca 59, Munoz 62. Manager: Roy Hodgson 4.
Referee: Simon Hooper 7.
Attendance: 31,345.