Andersen takes innovation over style for Palace

WE know central defenders love a sliding tackle, but to score a goal from one? That is a whole new level of dedication to the art of the slide from Crystal Palace’s Joachim Andersen.

It was in the 76th minute when Andersen played a one-two with Jordan Ayew. It looked for all the world like Andersen was driving down a cul-de-sac. There was no beating Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken from here, no getting to the ball before Nathan Collins.

Yet Andersen, on his 100th appearance in the Premier League, slid and scored. It was as strange as Kevin Schade’s opener was stylish.

‘It wasn’t a classic,’ Roy Hodgson said of his team’s equaliser. ‘They scored a classic. That’s your Match of the Day moment. I didn’t get one of those.

‘But I got a goal and a point and that’s all that matters to me.’

Perhaps this result was inevitable. Four times they had faced each other in the Premier League and every single outing had ended in a draw. Make that five for five.

‘It was a little irritating,’ Brentford boss Thomas Frank said. ‘This was a game we should have won.’

After 18 minutes, 21-year-old winger Schade at long last got his first goal for the club.

Christian Norgaard’s cross-field ball to the left wing was collected by Schade, who charged directly at Joel Ward, Palace’s retreating right-back. Schade had Ward on toast, cutting inside before curling right-footed into the far corner.

Before the break, Brentford almost scored again when Collins’ header dropped on the wrong side of the post.

After an hour, Palace started to search for their equaliser. Odsonne Edouard saw his 25-yard free-kick tipped over by Flekken.

Eberechi Eze’s corner was headed down by Jefferson Lerma but Flekken made an instinctive stop. Ayew raced to the rebound — and was only a yard out — but Flekken saved again. Flekken was doing himself no harm.

Until the 76th minute, that is, when Palace scored their surprise equaliser.