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Post by Football News on Dec 19, 2015 17:35:24 GMT
Crystal Palace sink Stoke through Lee Chung-yong despite soft penalty Stoke 1 - 2 C PalaceHome team scorers Bojan Krkic 76 Pen Away team scorers Connor Wickham 45 +0:57 Pen Chung-Yong Lee 88 Lee Chung-yong scores the second goal for Crystal Palace against Stoke at the Britannia. Leading through a penalty that was beyond dispute, Crystal Palace looked to have been denied victory by a penalty that appeared as soft as they come, so their supporters would no doubt maintain the substitute Lee Chung-yong’s late winner, a curling shot struck from outside the penalty area, ensured justice was done. At the same time, however, they would also have acknowledge the debt owed to their in-form goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey, who made a series of fine saves to keep Stoke at bay. Home supporters still buzzing from their team’s previous home performance, the disconcertingly (to some, at any rate) scintillating demolition of Manchester City, can only have been delighted to hear Xherdan Shaqiri had recovered from the hamstring tweak that caused him the miss last week’s draw at West Ham. Whether the little Swiss midfielder’s attacking combinations with Marko Arnautovic and Bojan Krkic would prove as effective against a Palace team who came into the game having conceded only six times away from home this season, however, remained open to question – and indeed with Stoke themselves having kept seven clean sheets in their previous nine games, the feeling was goals could be at a premium. The more so because Palace were unexpectedly missing their French playmaker Yohan Cabaye, who failed a late fitness test and was replaced by Joe Ledley. The first half-hour rather bore that impression out. With Palace’s two new American investors, Josh Harris and David Blitzer, sitting alongside Steve Parish in the stands, the visitors were prepared to cede Stoke the considerable majority of possession, closing down in the final third and only occasionally looking to break. Chances at either end were minimal and it was only when Palace lost the ball on a rare foray upfield, and for the first time were caught slightly short of numbers at the back, that Arnautovic finally found enough space to tee up Krkic. The Spaniard’s shot from just outside the penalty area was low and crisp, and it needed a smart diving save from Palace’s in-form goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey to beat it out. Hennessey had to rely on the woodwork 10 minutes later, when Marco van Ginkel flicked Erik Pieters’ low, diagonal cross against the outside of the goalkeeper’s right-hand post, but just when the half looked certain to remain goalless, Palace went ahead. Phillip Wollscheid’s clearing header from a Palace free-kick lumped hopefully into the Stoke area wasn’t as strong as it might have been but Wilfried Zaha was actually heading away from goal when Glenn Whelan put a foot in and clearly clipped ankle rather than ball. Connor Wickham drove the penalty straight down the middle, Jack Butland having conveniently dived to one side. Hennessey impressed again soon after the break, plunging to his right after Glen Johnson’s shot found its way through a crowd of players. At the other end a stretching James McArthur just failed to turn Zaha’s cross past Butland, and with Stoke now having to commit men forward, the pace and indeed power of Yannick Bolasie and Jason Puncheon was a growing threat. Arnautovic saw a shot deflected just wide but Stoke looked to be running out of steam when the referee, Bobby Madley, decided the ball had brushed Damien Delaney’s hand on the way down after the defender had challenged for a cross in his own penalty area. Krkic finally beat Hennessey but, with added time approaching, City failed to properly clear a bouncing ball and Lee’s curling effort from distance was too good for Jack Butland. Guardian
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Post by Avinalaff on Dec 20, 2015 6:46:49 GMT
Palace are doing really well. I look at them and Stoke as very similar teams, yet both appear to be getting good results.
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