Crystal Palace pull off stunner at the Etihad, 3-0 victory!
Crystal Palace haven't gotten off to the most ideal start in this new Premier League season, but thankfully there is plenty of time for things to get turned around. Before entering our matches in September though, we have a contract negotiation update! Lucien LeClair was able to sitdown with Yohan Cabaye and his agent and hammer out an agreement on a 2-year extension that will pay himself $62,000 a week in wages along with a hefty 600k signing bonus. The deal also includes an additional fee of 2.5M if he were to reach 25 goals, but we all know that's fairly unlikely. Why did LeClair decide to extend the 32-year old? On top of the fact that having capable players no matter their age is useful, LeClair wants to keep Cabaye around given his veteran leadership and the fact he's a crucial integral member of the former Crystal Palace since he's been here since 2015. Think of him being like a holding member between eras. While the likes of Yves Bissouma have looked impressive, and others such as Jason Puncheon would love playing time, Cabaye is here to stay, at least for now. A few other contract extensions may be discussed down the line, but LeClair made sure locking down his biggest priority was done and dusted before any pre-contract talks could begin for him come January.
(Match #4 of PL) @ Burnley: Two sides that entering this year you're not quite sure what to expect, it seems like one of them could be bound for success while the other could burn and fall. In the 17th minute, Wilfried Zaha struck with a classic near-post finish past Tom Heaton to put Crystal Palace up 1-0! Sadly, that lead would only last for so long as Burnley's own Davis would score in the 20th minute to tie the match back up. Similar to what happened in the match against Liverpool, it was The Eagles own mistakes that turned the tide of this match. Yohan Cabaye, fresh off that contract extension, sent a penalty in the 52nd minute wide of the crossbar. In response just 7 minutes later Burnley got a penalty of their own and buried it. Robbie Brady would also score a 3rd for them in the 81st minute as
Burnley won 3-1. By the end of the match facts, Crystal Palace were slated 19th in the Prem with just 2 points through their first 4 matches, with 2 draws at home and 2 losses away at Liverpool and Burnely... not pretty to say the least.
(Match #5 of PL) vs Southampton (PLAYED 1 of 2): It was only normal to feel a sense of desperation entering a match such as this. Supporters were only naturally going to get uneasy when this new hotshot you allegedly hired as manager has failed to get a win through his first 4 matches in the Premier League. Crystal Palace and LeClair especially needed a hot start and they got it in the 8th minute courtesy of Christian Benteke! Wilfried Zaha whipped in a cross near-post on a corner and it didn't matter that he was being marked by Charlie Austin and Valery, he fended them both off, popped the ball past Alex McCarthy and put CP up 1-0! The remainder of the 1st half would be the Eagles peppering Southampton with shots, and they'd go into the break with their lead in-tact. Axel Werner was making his 2nd start and was looking to rebound from the poor match vs Burnley, and with a huge save in the 47th minute he did just that! Sadly, it wouldn't last for very long. In the 54th minute, Nathan Redmond would be given some space outside the box and would send a longshot past Werner into the back of the net. Maybe he should've been marked better, but you've gotta do better there Werner. Regardless, Crystal Palace didn't resign themselves to their fate. They pushed back. Jeffrey Schlupp was able to get free down the bottom wing and got into the box, he feeds a pass to Benteke, HE SLOTS IT PAST MCCARTHY! 2-1 CRYSTAL PALACE! Then later on in the 81st minute, The Eagles would snag a 3rd on a scrappy Yohan Cabaye goal off of a corner and a few deflections.
3-1 victory for LeClair! It's his first ever Premier League victory, it comes at home, and wow Christian Benteke earned himself MOTM with a monster 2-goal performance along with a 9.4 rating!
(Round 3 of Carabao Cup) @ Chelsea: In no way is it very high class sportsmanship to say you're effectively punting on a match, but in this case Crystal Palace basically did just that. With a huge game against Manchester City just 2 days later in the league, LeClair does not have the luxury to try and go really hard and push Chelsea. Because of that, the likes of Speroni and van Aanholt were playing. As a result, the match went just as expected. Willian scored a goal in the 20th minute for them, and then none other than Olivier Giroud netted himself a brace with goals in the 39th and 61st minutes respectively.
Chelsea won 3-0, but there was no shame in this loss, just a reality given our current status vs one of the biggest clubs in the world.
(Match #6 of PL) @ Manchester City(PLAYED 2 of 2): It'd be natural to go into a match like this nervous. Playing in Etihad Stadium, Man City were the league leaders through 5 matches with 12 points including 4 wins and 1 loss. They were also on a 3-game winning streak at this point. It came as no surprise that Crystal Palace attempted to play very conservatively holding possession but the drastic difference in talent made itself apparent early on, with Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling buzzing around the field. In the 15th minute, Jesus made Jaïro Riedewald dance out of his boots with two fakes and had a clear shot on Werner, but sent the ball centimeters wide of the far left post to keep it a 0-0 match. In the 28th minute, İlkay Gündoğan had a threatening longshot just go wide, yet vs Southampton that shot by Nathan Redmond went in. Crystal Palace were reeling, and it felt like they were close to breaking, but then, it happened. Yves Bissouma saw Wilfried Zaha open at the top of the box, he fed him the ball, Kwado Asamoah who had been signed by Man City came over to defend him but got FAKED out by a fake shot, Zaha inside, he shoots, deflected by Ederson, BUT BISSOUMA IS THERE AND GOOOOAL! 1-0 CRYSTAL PALACE! He got the rebound opportunity of his dreams and made it happen in the 32nd minute! Unbelievable! It appears as though Man City's defense got disorientated and couldn't recover!
Still, Manchester City would press onwards and only increase their aggression. In the 37th minute, Kevin de Bruyne was just on the outside of the box and sent a shot firing clanging off the crossbar on a shot that could have easily tied things up. It was desperate, but Crystal Palace got to halftime with their 1-0 stunning lead in-tact. At the break, LeClair knew he couldn't survive with this current formation and opted for a 5-at-the-back, bringing on Tomkins to assist in that effort. How did Crystal Palace fair? Brilliantly. Why? Yves Bissouma. The 21-year old lad was a MENACE on the pitch, not only for getting that goal but also because he was tracking down Gabriel Jesus like crazy. He made Jesus look ineffective, and was constantly intercepting passes, stopping counter-attacks, and generally making this luxurious Man City attack look subpar. As a result, Pep Guardiola felt the need to start pressing. That's when Crystal Palace took advantage. In the 71st minute, Christian Benteke fed a streaking beauty of a pass to Wilfried Zaha who found his way into the box, he simply fed it over to Alexander Sørloth and it was 2-0 CRYSTAL PALACE! It got worse from there for Man City, as in the 79th minute Andros Townsend fed Sørloth again in the box, he bullied Nicolas Otamendi and sent a laser past Ederson to make it 3-0 AND A STUNNER! Sada Thioub would come on with his pace and would ice the match allowing for a clean-sheet on top of everything else.
Crystal Palace win 3-0! A complete and utter shocker at the Etihad, it was a mixture of brilliance by Yves Bissouma as well as some misfortune(miss by Jesus in 15th) that led to this incredible result. There will be plenty of reactions to come, but many are already singing the praises of LeClair for his efforts.
(Match #7 of PL) @ Manchester United: Coming off such a massive victory, it would be difficult for Crystal Palace to keep the good feelings going. Hell, playing both Manchester's away in back-to-back league matches would be difficult for clubs like Chelsea and Arsenal, let alone Crystal Palace. Romelu Lukaku struck first with a big header in the 30th minute to put Manchester United in front, yet, in the 52nd minute after halftime it was Wilfried Zaha who continues to make a massive impact with a goal to tie it back up! Some subs were make such as bringing on Bissouma and taking off Sakho, but it was not enough. Big man striker Romelu Lukaku netted a second goal in the 70th minute to put Manchester United back in the lead, and
United would win 2-1. Certainly never a result you want to see but Crystal Palace put forth an admirable effort and really did make United work for their victory, they certainly played better than they did vs Burnley for example. It's just with this level of talent there's only so much you can do.
2017 September Summary: All in all, a better damn good month. You saw us hit a very low point with that loss at Burnley and temporairly being 19th in the Premier League, but then you bounced back with two monster wins at home against Southampton and away at Manchester City. Still, you know that this isn't going to be a Leicester City-type season with the loss to Chelsea in the Carabao Cup and loss to Man United but it's still promising to see. Benteke had a 2-goal game against Southampton, while Sørloth had a 2-goal game against Manchester City. Some other names to note? Yves Bissouma is quickly emerging as one of the best players at this club, and that should not go unnoticed as LeClair's first huge signing. Also, talk about Axel Werner. He got each start in the league this month and while he's had his ups and downs, you wanna talk about getting you first ever clean sheet against Manchester City away? That's something he'll have for the rest of his life, credit to him. Next time we'll break down a relatively relaxing October since there aren't that many matches scheduled but that means we can go more in-depth on some other things such as potential January transfers and youth development. Until then!