Burnley 2 - 3 C Palace

Burnley 2 - 3 C Palace

Ben Mee 12
Danny Ings 16

Dwight Gayle 28
Jason Puncheon 48
Dwight Gayle 87



The chant began during an improbable comeback. “Alan Pardew is one of our own,” chorused the Crystal Palace faithful. Newcastle supporters rarely voiced such sentiments but Pardew’s popularity with the visiting Londoners owes to more than mere nostalgia. For the second successive week, a Palace victory owed much to their manager.

Pardew’s tactical nous ensured he had a transformative effect. A first defeat as their manager beckoned when Palace trailed 2-0 but Dwight Gayle and Jason Puncheon, scorers when they overcame a deficit to beat Tottenham last week, struck again. Pardew’s 100 per cent record remains intact.

He was the catalyst for the turnaround. There was an anachronistic feel to a Premier League game where both teams began playing 4-4-2, where 20 of the 22 starters were British or Irish and where the snow on the Pennine hills provided a picturesque backdrop.

But when Burnley surged ahead, Pardew had to change. His rethink brought a response. Striker Gayle was moved to the left flank and Wilfried Zaha relocated to the right in a switch to 4-1-4-1. Both moves paid dividends with each exerting an influence in the Palace recovery.

After Zaha delivered the most menacing of crosses and Kieran Trippier failed to clear, Gayle finished from 10 yards. Zaha, continuing to torment Ben Mee, almost provided Yaya Sanogo with a debut goal. Trippier made a vital interception to deny the newcomer, whose wait for a Premier League strike, which eluded him during his first 18 months at Arsenal, continued when Scott Arfield hooked his goal-bound header past the post.

Yet Palace were not to be denied. Puncheon cut infield to drill a 20-yard shot past Tom Heaton. Their winner came from Puncheon’s cross. He picked out Gayle, who showed the composure to drive Palace into the lead.

Burnley had more to savour in the opening stages. Their opener was made in Manchester. They have made a habit of raiding wealthier local rivals for youngsters who were deprived a chance to play for title-chasing teams and four of their back five began their footballing lives at either Manchester United or Manchester City. The City alumni are Trippier and Mee and the full-backs combined for the goal. Trippier delivered a deep corner. Mee escaped the attentions of Joe Ledley and, with goalkeeper Julián Speroni stranded in no-man’s land, headed in his first Premier League goal.

A more regular scorer doubled Burnley’s lead. Danny Ings’ third goal in as many league games came during a brief hailstorm. Arfield out-muscled Joel Ward and, with Pardew complaining the ball had already gone out of play, released Ings. He duly picked out the corner of the Palace goal.

Burnley, who had squandered a two-goal lead to lose at Tottenham in the FA Cup on Wednesday, saw history repeat itself. They could have scored a winner, when James McArthur, a summer target of theirs, cleared off the line to deny Michael Keane. But Palace replacement Glenn Murray had also come close to a decider before Gayle delivered one.