Wilfried Zaha’s penalty in the first half was enough for Crystal Palace to beat Watford 1-0, confirming the Hornets’ relegation from the Premier League.
Despite the many courtesies before the game, it was an unfortunate return for Roy Hodgson to Selhurst Park – back at the club for the first time since leaving as manager last summer – and his return to the Championship was confirmed on Saturday afternoon.
The problem was finally resolved in the first half when Crystal Palace received a penalty. A header by Michael Oliz hit Hassane Kamara in the arm, although the Watford midfielder protested that he was pushed into the accumulation.
But the VAR disagreed and was left with referee Graham Scott’s decision to award the penalty Zaha fired into the far corner. It was his 13th goal of the season, making it the best goal-scoring campaign in the Premier League.
Watford offered very little in return – he registered just one shot on goal – and ended the match with 10 men when Camara was sent off for a second yellow card in the 69th minute. He will now miss Wednesday’s game against Everton, although this is no longer decisive for Watford’s relegation.
When asked to consider defeat, Hodgson cited last weekend’s 2-1 loss to Burnley as a result of his relegation.
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Roy Hodgson was pleased with the performance of his team after falling to 10 people, despite their loss to Crystal Palace, which confirmed their relegation from the Premier League
Hodgson told Sky Sports: “Actually, it’s not much different from last week’s defeat … When the last two goals were gone and we were 12 points behind by four games, I think only someone who has no idea what football is about would believe that we can still do it because the four games we have are tough and the other teams have a lot of games to get the points they need.
“We really came to terms with that last week and that makes today’s performance even more commendable. Many teams would shrug their shoulders and say “we can’t do much more”, especially after the penalty, which I think is our decision. is eligible for competition.
Image: Watford dropped out after a 1-0 defeat, including an expulsion for Hassane Kamara
“But we continued, we remained competitive until the end and made Crystal Palace know that they participated in a match and it was a good effort by our team.”
As for Crystal Palace, a solid season with Patrick Vieira continues to accumulate. They have now kept four consecutive clean games at Selhurst Park, doing so for the first time since December 2012 in the Championship. They are in ninth place before the rest of the matches this weekend.
Team news
- Crystal Palace made five changes. Jack Butland entered the ranks, replacing Vicente Guita, with Michael Olize, Wilfried Zaha, Will Hughes and Odson Edward also entering the XI.
- Guita missed the lineup for the match, as did James McArthur. Jeffrey Schloop, Jordan Ayu and Jean-Philippe Mateta started on the bench.
- Watford have also made four changes since losing to Burnley. Christian Cabaselle started on the bench, while Imran Luza, Juraj Kuka and Joao Pedro missed due to injury.
- Craig Cathcart and Tom Cleverley were able to get started, with Joshua King and Edo Cayembe also entering the XI.
How Palace kept his momentum
Crystal Palace dominated the chances in the first half and maybe they should have added more to their result before the break. At the beginning, Mark Guehi nodded widely in the back beam, as Olize and Zaha also sent blows along the beam.
Although their goal fell after a penalty, it was deserved for their game so far, but their two best chances came just before the break.
Odsonne Edouard was the first to reach the corner kick, but his header was blocked by the keeper. Zaha then fed the lively Olize on the right wing after a great move by the Crystal Palace team, but he shot over the crossbar from a narrow angle.
Image: Wilfried Zaha greets the audience after scoring a penalty
The chances were greater after the break, as Palace looked comfortable with a 1-0 lead. They had to double that in the 64th minute when Edward danced past a few yellow shirts before sending the ball through six yards. However, Foster positioned himself well on the near post, blocking the ball with his shins before Watford could clear.
Watford’s best chance of the match came in the 80th minute when Craig Cathcart nodded from a corner, sending the ball into the top of the net.
Jean-Philippe Matteta also approached Crystal Palace with a second delay. His initial header from Olise’s quick cross was well halted by Foster, with Mateta sending a stooped second header past the crossbar. Jeffrey Schloop also saw a corner kick, well saved by the Watford goalkeeper.
The Hornets are now facing another summer of recovery before returning to the Championship, with the search for a new manager already under way after Hodgson announced he would leave the club at the end of the season.
Hodgson: I’m not sorry I took on the role of Watford
Watford manager Roy Hodgson told Sky Sports:
“I do not regret [about taking the Watford job]. One cannot be satisfied with the work one has done if it is not done the way everyone wants to do it. We thought we could help the team avoid relegation, but we couldn’t. They were in the relegation zone when we came and they are still there.
“To say I was pleased would be an almost incendiary remark. But I think the team was lucky sometimes, the structure and the way they work could actually give us a few more points, but it wasn’t. “
At the penalty: “He [Kamara] was pushed from behind, he said. I haven’t seen him, but surely the way his body was walking seemed to be pushed. We’ll look at it tonight … and people will have their say.
“It doesn’t matter if the referee awards a penalty, that’s if the opposing team scores, you lose 1-0. This, of course, is complicated by his expulsion in the second half, which I think made our performance with 10 men even more commendable. “
During his reception at Selhurst Park: “It just reminds me what a great crowd it is and how sad it was for me to miss them during the 15 months of blocking in my last days here. It was great to come back and really touching, like a good reception, so the result can send me happy tonight in some ways. “
Viera: We showed maturity and managed the game
Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira told Sky Sports:
“In the first half we created several situations that we have to take and score these goals. We didn’t create much in the second half. I thought we were a little careless in the passes, in the movement.
“But we managed to win the match and showed maturity. We were able to control the game, even when we weren’t playing, and that’s good because we’re growing as a team and learning from the mistakes we made from the start. the season.
“We kept our organization and respected the game. We won the match and that was good, because at the beginning of the season, in moments when we were leading 1: 0 and we got free kicks or a goal in the last minute, but today we did much better.
“I’m really happy because the players are working hard and well every day. This is a team of players who want to improve and compete in the Premier League. All the ingredients are there to make us stronger as a team.
“It’s about the right balance between creating chances, scoring goals and stability and not allowing goals to afford to win football matches.”
The man of the match – Michael Olize
There may have been some eyebrows raised when Crystal Palace lured Olize from Reading in the summer, but the 20-year-old is thriving on Patrick Vieira and doing well against Watford.
He topped the list for punches in the penalty area, went to the last third and centered. He also made the most dribbles and won the most duels.
Together with other attacking talents such as Zaha, Edward and Ez, this creates an exciting prospect for Crystal Palace in the future.
Player rating
Crystal Palace: Butland (5), Klein (6), Andersen (8), Guehi (7), Ward (6), Gallagher (6), Hughes (6), Oliz (8), Edward (7), Zaha (8), Eze (7).
Subtitles used: Sloop (6), Mitchell (6), Mateta (6).
Watford:Foster (7), Femenia (6), Katkart (6), Samir (6), Kamara (5), Sisoko (7), Cleverley (6), Kayembe (5), Sar (5), King (5), Denis (5).
Subtitles used: Sema (6), Masina (5), Ekong (none).
Match player: Michael Oliz.
Wholesale statistics – Hornets dropped out
- This is the first time in his managerial career that Roy Hodgson will end his campaign in the Premier League in the relegation zone with a team.
- Since the start of the 2013-14 campaign, only Manchester City (52) and Liverpool (51) have scored more penalties in the Premier League than Crystal Palace (48, one more than Man United).
- Wilfried Zaha is the first Crystal Palace player to score both at home and away against Watford in the league season after Zaha himself in the 2011-12 Championship.
What next?
Crystal Palace have to consider two immediate trips, with Patrick Vieira’s team going to Aston Villa next weekend before facing Everton at Goodison Park four days later. The eagles are running out …
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