Dynamic trio can turn Palace into powerhouse

These days there is no team so thrilling to watch as Crystal Palace, who followed up the destruction of Manchester United with a sparkling display at Wolves.

Beginning with the 1-0 win at Liverpool, the combination of JeanPhillipe Mateta, Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise has produced five wins in six games and perhaps it was a good game for the Wolves keeper, Jose Sa, who felt unwell before kickoff, to miss.

Olise, signed by Patrick Vieira, has always been seen as a talent at Selhurst Park – as a 21-year-old he made three assists in a 5-1 thrashing of Leeds last year. However, it has been his return from a hamstring injury and his linking up with Mateta and Eze in the 1-0 win at Liverpool that began Palace’s transformation.

The coolness he displayed when shooting home from the edge of the box for the opener is proof of an inner confidence.

After the last game at Molineux, the Wolves manager, Gary O’Neil, was upbeat, arguing that Wolves had finished the season with more points, more goals and more wins than last season.

This is true but it is not the whole story. Their season has not just fizzled out, it has had a bucket of water thrown over it. The 3-1 defeat by Crystal Palace meant they have taken four points from their last nine matches – and those points came against Luton and Burnley.