Townsend’s stunner brings down the house for Big Sam as Pulis is left to count the cost
CRYSTAL PALACE are due to collect £3.7million after making Tony Pulis repay a three-year old bonus for keeping them in the Premier League — and the cash could come in handy to pay Sam Allardyce his own survival bonus.
Spectacular goals by Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend gave Big Sam his second win in a row to lift Palace out of the bottom three. And assuming the former England manager agreed a windfall for survival, it is starting to look as if he will cash in.
Just when it appeared as if he was beginning to regret returning to the game after a dire run, Allardyce is back on track. ‘It did get slightly under my skin,’ he said. ‘But hopefully I will have my say when we are safe.
‘We’ve started our recovery with back-toback wins and the way we worked gave us the platform. Then when we asked for better quality, we got it with two fantastic goals.’
Allardyce wasn’t exaggerating his own team’s performance. Zaha’s strike after 55 minutes was brilliant, pulling down a ball from Yohan Cabaye on his chest before lashing a left-foot shot beyond Ben Foster.
Townsend’s goal with six minutes left was better still. The former England winger won a tackle against Albion youngster Jonathan Leko on the corner of his own penalty area, then set off on a run that took him all the way to the other end. On the way he shook off Leko’s attempt to get back, then held off Gareth McAuley before drilling in a shot that took a deflection off Jonny Evans.
‘The goal of this season or any other,’ said Allardyce. ‘I don’t think anybody will beat that for running so far before scoring.’
The goals might have been good, but it is the way Palace’s defence has been transformed that is really making the difference.
Allardyce’s key aim in the January window was to brick up a porous back line and the arrival of Mamadou Sakho has definitely helped.
The on-loan Liverpool defender won big headers to snuff out West Brom’s set-pieces, and brought the ball forward with composure, too, while
alongside him James Tomkins made sure Salomon Rondon didn’t get a sniff.
Palace were desperately close to taking the lead after 18 minutes, as Christian Benteke met Cabaye’s corner with a header that was cleared off the line by Chris Brunt.
West Brom, despite seven wins from their previous eight home games, were second best, so much so that it was an hour before they had a shot on target.
‘We were tepid,’ admitted Pulis. ‘I don’t know why. We trained and worked really well all week.
‘We needed somebody to give us a spark and it just never happened.’
Pulis was taunted by the travelling fans over the ongoing dispute about what he must pay to Palace, with them singing: ‘Tony Pulis, we’re taking your house’.
But he insisted: ‘I’ve no problems with that. That’s the game these days and it was just a bit of humour.
‘All that hurts for me is that we lost a home game, not because it is Palace.
‘I can hold my head up high for what I did there — I had eight months and they were in dire straits when I arrived. I have nothing to be ashamed of.’