LUKS GOOD FOR PALACE

Serb is spot-on this time with late strike

LUKA MILIVOJEVIC proved he is much better from 20 yards than 12 to earn Crystal Palace a stirring comeback win.

Just days after fluffing a match-winning, last-gasp penalty chance against the leaders Manchester City, the midfielder bent in a late goal at Southampton to continue the Eagles’ impressive revival under Roy Hodgson.

Defeat wiped the smiles off the Saints’ faces after they took the lead through Shane Long’s first goal since last February, before James McArthur’s leveller for Palace.

And the collapse of Mauricio Pellegrino’s side heaped more pressure on the Southampton boss, with Saints only above the relegation zone on goal difference.

Southampton have now gone nine games without a win and he was taunted with chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning” before his side were booed off at full-time.

Earlier in the day, Pellegrino had received the backing of chairman Ralph Krueger, who claimed the Virgil van Dijk saga ahead of his £75million move to Liverpool had hindered the Argentinian’s summer appointment and hung over the club like a “cloud.”

Krueger might have felt like he spoke too soon and Southampton can not start spending some of that Van Dijk cash soon enough.

These two sides ended 2017 by shutting out two of the Premier League’s biggest hitters.

Southampton held Manchester United to a goalless draw 24 hours before Palace became only the second side to stop Manchester City winning in another 0-0 draw.

Early on in this game, Long and Dusan Tadic for Southampton, and Wilfried Zaha for Palace, all looked like they had left their shooting boots at home.

But the moment Long had been waiting for finally arrived in the 17th minute. Jeffrey Schlupp could only glance Sofiane Boufal’s cross to Jeremy Pied whose cut back was brilliantly swept into the net by Long – who had gone 34 games for club and country, 324 days and 1,320 Premier League minutes, since last scoring.

After the break, Palace forward Christian Benteke forced Alex McCarthy into a sprawling save down to his left.

And the Eagles were rewarded for an improved display when Benteke headed down Andros Townsend’s scooped cross and McArthur volleyed in their equaliser.

And Milivojevic made up for his penalty miss by firing the winner past McCarthy from Townsend’s pass with 11 minutes left.