Manager Alan Pardew has called it a great night for Crystal Palace as we took victory over the current Premier League Champions last night.
Hear A Host Of Audio Reactions To The City Win (click here)
A great performance, two good goals from Glenn Murray and Jason Puncheon left a late goal from Yaya Toure as merely a consolation on the night.
Speaking to Crystal Palace FC following the game, Pardew knew it was a huge night for the club and a well deserved victory from the players.
‘I am absolutely thrilled, what a great night for everyone. The fans were superb from the start and most importantly we got the first goal in this game because it would have been difficult to get back into it. At the same time we managed to keep the great atmosphere going in the stadium throughout the night. We showed great character, resilience and even though it was like a scary night at the movies at times I don`t mind a scary film every so often.’
Pardew went on to say that the two wideboys on the evening had to be alert and show ‘the other side’ of their game which was tracking back, protecting the full back and getting stuck in and he felt they did well across the 90 minutes but then made telling contributions when we had the opportunity for them to showcase themselves.
‘Our two wide players had to show the other side of their game tonight and they did it well, they protected us, got in the areas where they had to work hard and showed what they can do from that point of view. They didn`t have many offensive moments but when you are playing Manchester City and in particular after they have conceded the first goal they just keep coming, once we got a second we knew they were going to just keep attacking. We defended brilliantly as a team and it took a top goal for us not to get a clean sheet.’
With Glenn Murray continuing his own scoring form in the game, grabbing his fifth league goal on the evening, but it wasn’t just his goal scoring that Pardew praised him for, it was his overall work ethic to put himself about, chase down and be an outlet across the offensive areas to help relieve the pressure.
‘We said to Glenn, you might need to buy us fouls, work hard, and I thought he gave an exceptional performance, forget about his goal, it was a real lesson in how to play the No.9 role. He had a terrible time with injuries – he should have been a Premier League player years ago – so I’m pleased for him that he’s getting the reward for the quality that he has.’
With the result effectively ending Manchester City’s hopes of retaining the title this year given the gap Chelsea now hold on them and with other clubs catching them up, it also effectively secures our Premier League survival for the season with games to spare.
‘It is difficult to win three games on the trot in the Premier League but we have done that with wins at home against QPR and Man City and a victory on the road at Stoke City. All three are tough games and nine important points is magnificent for us. Our usual resilience was in evidence tonight but it was a bit more than that as we had to pull on our reserves of energy to get through but a great night for the football club and a result that more or less guarantees Premier League football.’
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