Ayew adds to Palace glee at Hodgson deal
Twelfth facing 17th is rarely a contest overflowing with the feelgood factor. This one, though, caught two teams in their best moments of difficult seasons. In the end, for the third successive game, Crystal Palace won by a goal to nil. On an afternoon of few chances, but much petulance, Watford had more of the play but fewer opportunities and on this showing their magnificence against Liverpool seems less the way ahead, more one-off aberration.
“We played pretty well,” Nigel Pearson, the Watford head coach, argued. “We’ll bounce back from this, but we’re ruing our inability to be decisive.”
Indeed, for all Watford’s heroics against the champions-elect, they remain out of the bottom three only by a solitary goal. Palace, though, were basking in the psychological fillip of manager Roy Hodgson signing the contract extension which promises, if not necessarily guarantees, stability.
“I have such faith and confidence in these players,” said 72-year-old Hodgson, who added that he would abide by any potential Government decision to ban over-70s from football stadiums during the coronavirus alert.
Watford were both truculent and breezy outside Palace’s penalty area. Their midfield swarmed forwards in support of Troy Deeney, but too many players took too many touches in the final third and, before and after he tipped over Deeney’s 25-yarder just after the hour, Vicente Guaita was merely an interested spectator as he kept his third consecutive clean sheet.
Palace won it with a delicious team goal in which the much-maligned Christian Benteke was pivotal. He collected the ball in the centre circle, brushed aside Christian Kabasele’s feeble challenge and found the overlapping Wilfried Zaha. The winger pulled the ball back for Benteke, who had not stopped running. This time, the Belgian linked with James McArthur, who squared for Jordan Ayew. Still with much to do, the Ghanaian drove his second goal in a week through the gap between Craig Cathcart and Adam Masina and beyond Ben Foster.
The goal took the spring out of Watford’s step and they would never regain it. Already niggly, the game turned scrappy and staccato on an afternoon where almost every minor infringement was followed by shoving, jostling and petulance. The rather volatile Zaha, though more sinned against than sinner, was most fortunate that his yellow card was not upgraded to red when he raised his hands towards Etienne Capoue after being scythed down.
“Rules are rules,” Pearson sighed. “I expect the officials to take care of it.”
Once Benteke’s overhead kick flew wide, Watford went for broke, but only Foster’s added-time heroics prevented Ayew from notching a second goal. For Palace, the good times just keep on rolling. For Watford, a reality check.