Hull down as Palace complete survival act
Marco Silva spent a week preparing for one of the biggest games in Hull City’s history, but it took just a single moment of calamity to tear those plans to pieces.
With one misguided swing of Andrea Ranocchia’s right boot, Silva’s strategy came tumbling down, and with it went Hull, toppling out of the top flight of English football and into the Championship.
Their relegation battle was over, and this was a painful way to lose it. By the end it was hard to watch, as a buoyant Crystal Palace swarmed all over Selhurst Park and could easily have made it even worse.
Four unanswered goals finally guaranteed Palace’s safety after they had been dragged back into this relegation scrap, while Hull can only rue the continuation of the dreadful away form that has seen them secure just one victory on the road all season.
They have been a side transformed by the admirable Silva, who will surely now be leaving the club, but they were simply left with too much to do after such a poor start to the campaign. It was the same story in this clash, as Ranocchia’s inexplicable mistake allowed a grateful Wilfried Zaha a to give Palace the lead after just t three minutes.
Goals from Christian Benteke, Luka Milivojevic and substiitute Patrick van Aanholtolt added gloss to the result, ult, and sent the Palace faiththful into raptures on a day that threatened to be e so much nervier.
With Palace’s Premier League future still at stake, this was not a time for messing around. Passing the he ball was clearly deemed an unnecessary risk, and every freekick in the Palace half became an opportunity to wheel goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey upfieldfield and lay siege to the Hull penalty ty box.
It was pure, unbridled ed Allardyce. Big Sam, not Allardici. It was also a far cry from the kind of football that Palace have generally played this season, which has by and large been considerably more attractive than this.
But Allardyce knew what he wanted, and he did not care how he got it. The ball was pumped long, or indeed off the pitch, at every opportunity, while the attacking game plan rested on hopes that Zaha or Andros Townsend might find some space on the counterattack.
Hull therefore enjoyed plenty of possession, and spent most of the game camped in the Palace half, but their problem – and it has been a problem all season – was a lack of cutting edge.
Not one player in this Hull squad has scored more than five goals this campaign, and it showed as this game descended into something not dissimilar from a trainingground drill of attack versus defence. That is a drill Allardyce has rehearsed plenty of times, and the big kiss landed on his cheek by a member of his coaching staff after the second goal went in was a sign of their confidence in protecting a lead.
But it could all have been so different had Ranocchia not failed his team-mates so spectacularly, and so early on. An innocuous flick was headed back by Michael Dawson, and the Italian swung and missed at the bouncing ball. In swept Zaha, who tucked his finish between Eldin Jakupovic’s legs before wheeling off in fevered celebration.
Palace were up,u but the nerves were still jangling.jangli The festering feeling of ap apprehension in the stands beganb to seep onto the pitch,pitc where a breakdown ofo communications betweenbetwee Benteke and HennesseyHenn failed to instill confidence. Hull beganbe to find a foothold,ho and were in control.co
Then came the suckerpunch.su A Palaceac breakaway forcedfo a corner, and BentekeBe bustled his waywa into space beforefor nodding home JasonJas Puncheon’s whippedwh delivery. It waswa both more than they deserved and entirelytirel predictable given the states of Hull’s defence,fence particularly from set-pieces.set-pie
ThroughoutThro it all stood a frowning Silva in his dugout, stroking his chin. His half-time changes were drastic, and it was little surprise that Ranocchia was not seen again.
On came Shaun Maloney and Jarrod Bowen, and then Curtis Davies a few minutes later for the injured Harry Maguire.
Silva had played his hand, and there was a marked improvement as Palace fell deeper and deeper. Bowen fluffed a half-chance at the back post, but that was largely as good as it got.
As the south London heat began to sap Hull legs, Palace found increasing amounts of space in the opposition half, and Benteke twice lashed wide on the break.
Then Jeffrey Schlupp, racing clear on the counter, was hacked down inside the box by Dawson. Milivojevic stepped up to make it three, before Van Aanholt fired home to end the rout, and Hull’s Premier League dream, for good.