A typical Palace away performance: let the opposition have plenty of the ball in areas they can’t hurt us; rely on our midfield to blunt most threats, backed up by a superb defence & an in-form goalkeeper to catch anything that does break through; seize on opposition mistakes and punish them ruthlessly at pace. Well, it wasn’t quite perfect today, but the template is good & proven, so even if we rode our luck a little today – and all successful teams need that little bit of good fortune – the result matched that against Stoke. Still hasn’t removed that huge chip labelled “Stamford Bridge ‘76” from my shoulder though...

Palace & Pardew have publicly stated that a strong cup run is one of their aims, and the team selection bore that out. The defence & attack was the same that had started against Chelsea, but there was a complete change in midfield – Cabaye, Ledley & Mutch coming in. On paper that looked fine but once on the pitch the team looked a little lopsided. While Zaha patrolled the right wing, and was able to provide defensive back-up for Ward, on the left it was a different story: after starting on that flank Puncheon drifted infield, and often when Souaré had the ball at his feet he had no-one less than 25 yards from the touchline to aim at. I am guessing this was under instructions as no-one on the away bench was having coronaries. While this did hurt us offensively the real danger was when the Saints attacked down that flank – who was detailed to help out? Puncheon? Mutch? Ledley? All too often we found ourselves outnumbered on the left and most of Southampton’s best attacks in the first half stemmed from that weakness. It was mostly through the hard work of old firm Dann & Delaney that kept the ball out of the net: Delaney somehow stretched his neck at the far post to divert a cross away from the waiting forward, while both men threw themselves at a shot which Dann blocked.

Southampton started with three at the back and it seemed to take Palace around 15 minutes to find their feet in the game. The defence at first seemed shakier than normal, and it was worrying how often Long found space behind our back line. In the first few minutes he escaped and actually rounded Hennessey, only for Delaney’s speed at covering his keeper and a tight angle to defeat the striker; he was to find himself free another couple of times but quick work from Ward & Hennessey prevented any real danger. Saints best chance came when Davies had a free header that he put over the bar. Palace gradually eased their way into the game but too often their best passing was across the back four, rarely getting into the opposition half. Cabaye was having a rare off-day, Mutch was anonymous, while Campbell suffered both from a lack of support and being imposed on by three physically larger central defenders. Our only occasional spark game from Zaha, when we could get the ball to him, and is was surprising to find that Saints had rested Bertrand and Wilf was facing the youngster Targett at left back.

It should come as no surprise that Palace scored with their first serious attack totally against the run of play. It was a suicidal pass in midfield that was picked off by Puncheon in a right-central spot on the halfway line. He pushed forward quickly, not allowing the defence time to reorganise, penetrating the right side of Southampton’s box before crossing for someone in a red & blue shirt to crash home from close range. I thought it was Cabaye at first until the goal was given to Ward – how the right back managed to get up there so fast amazed me! (Suggest he is fined for abandoning defensive duties!) That seemed to knock Southampton’s confidence, and while crosses rained in on our box, Hennessey dealt successfully with most of them (one fumble aside) and actually had only one regulation save to make. If Dann had made good contact with one excellent corner Palace would have gone in at the interval with a two-goal lead.

Now pay attention: The half-time challenge took place at our end off to the right of the goal, where a portable goal was posted, having collapsed once onto the sodden turf. While this doesn’t usually feature in a match report it might have a bearing...

Koeman made a double change, one of those he introduced being Tadić as an attacking option. As often happens the second half was a definite improvement on the first as the game stretched and attacking players found more space. Unfortunately Palace again took time to figure out Southampton’s new formation and our defensive shield failed early on as the ball was allowed to travel across the face of our box without a challenge going in until Mané was played in on our left; his shot was blocked by Hennessey but fell loose and was stabbed home by Romeu. Even worse was Dann staying down for treatment for several minutes although he was able to regain the field after the restart. Pardew’s response was to soon withdraw Mutch and send on Sako, changing to what looked a more rigid 4-4-2. While Sako had little direct influence on the result in terms of direct personal intervention, the change in formation brought more pressure on Southampton’s defence, and with Puncheon now patrolling the left side it gave us a better foundation to build attacks. Hennessey did have to make one full length save from that pest Long but then Palace started to build a little pressure with a couple of corners and a Sako free kick that went high, wide & handsome.

When the breakthrough came it had an unusual origin. A long cross from our right missed everyone and looked to be going out of play to the left of Southampton’s goal – to Palace fans’ right. Campbell, who had again worked hard with little reward, was the only player to chase this lost cause, and the ball held up just before the goal line... in that exact same spot where the goal had collapsed at half-time. Coincidence? With the defence caught out Campbell fed Puncheon, whose shot was arrowing into the top far corner before Stekelenburg intervened. Unfortunately for him he pushed the ball up & out to his left instead of tipping the ball over the bar; doubly unfortunate as it landed on Zaha’s right boot and the volley fizzed past the keeper into the net.

That seemed to fire up Wilf, who apart from tormenting the young left wing-back then had another shot that was saved. Palace introduced Chamakh for Campbell and Jedinak for the off-form Cabaye but it was Southampton who threw men forward. It took a mixture of brave & lucky defending & goalkeeping to retain the lead. Hennessey, having denied Juanmi with another full length save, fumbled another chance and was lucky to see Dann hack the ball clear. From the corner a header was deflected over; from the next Long hit the outside of the post. That had left Chamakh prone of the ground for several minutes just as the board announced 5 minutes stoppage time. Mané had already put another header on the roof of the net when Southampton won one late free kick on the edge of the box that saw Ledley booked, and in the 97th minute Hennessey made one final superb full-length save to push Ward-Prowse’s free kick round the post; the corner that followed was cleared and the final whistle went.

Ratings:

Hennessey – 8 – A couple of poor kicks, one horrible fumble of a cross in the first half, looked like a second late on that was cleared by Dann. From the far end I’d give him the benefit of the doubt over their goal – it looked like he had to block the first effort and had no real say where the rebound fell. Having said that he made two full-length diving saves in open play in the second half but the highlight was the free kick in stoppage time: Ward-Prowse’s effort was played around the outside of the wall, so it was the wrong side for Wayne and he must have seen the ball late, yet somehow he managed to get across and tip the ball round the post.

Ward – 8 – Strong performance from Joel that silenced the home fans’ boos, although to be fair he was helped out a lot in defence by Zaha. His speed at covering was important in the period Long was able to penetrate behind Dann & Delaney. Even more impressive was his speed & anticipation in following Puncheon’s run and making the move into the box to get on the end of the cross and finish well.

Souaré – 7 – Not helped by the attention of a dedicated midfield support he was often outnumbered down the left, but defended pretty well individually. Second half received better support & was more solid. Continues to impress under the high ball as opponents seek to pray on that “weakness”. Whipped in two good crosses, one in each half, that could have led to more.

Delaney – 8 – When Damian’s legs finally go how the **** are we going to replace him? He manages to be in the right place at the right time so often. Was so again today, the best being tracking Long’s run behind Hennessey so he could block the effort on goal. Simply outstanding.

Dann – 8 – Are we all getting bored with repetitions of how solid & professional Scott Dann was? Sadly he was again today, although there were some early scary moments with Long. Like Delaney throws himself into blocks, taking a knock in a vain attempt to stop the equaliser. If Roy Hodgson has four better central defenders than Scott in England I am deluded.

Cabaye – 5 – First really mediocre display I’ve seen from Yohan. He turned the ball over a few times, and most of his possession was on our side of the halfway line. Never really an influence on the game’s flow.

Ledley – 7 – Did the dirty work in closing down the midfield opposition and put in some good tackles. Had to as his comrades in the middle weren’t on their games.

Mutch – 4 – I’m not sure Mutch has the application to do the hard yards (Ian reckons it’s fitness issues) – his idea of closing down an opponent is to amble towards him, and if he takes off to think about following him for a while. If he was a creative fount then that would be all good & well, but at the moment he is not, and we can’t afford passengers in this League. It was made worse in that after Puncheon drifted infield Jordon was often the midfielder on the left, except he seldom offered width in attack or much help at the back.

Puncheon – 7 – Started poorly, especially when leaving the left flank untenanted, and as usual coughed the ball up cheaply a couple of times. That all changed when in that central position I’d been muttering he shouldn’t be Jason intercepted a poor pass and charged upfield to set up Ward’s goal. Looked more at home on the left side after Sako came on and nearly worried Martina as much as Zaha did to Targett. Was quick to take advantage of Campbell’s hard work & unlucky to see his shot stopped by Stekelenburg, but it fell to Wilf so that’s two assists. Nearly threw it away in stoppage time when trying a crazy cross field ball to Sako that was intercepted, but if Jason was perfect then he’d be elsewhere...

Zaha – 7 – If Southampton decided to rest Ryan Bertrand then that was a huge mistake by Koeman. Wilf ran young Targett ragged, and although he didn’t beat him every time, he did so often enough to send the Saints’ defence scrambling back to cover. In the first half had one good run & cross but was often starved of the ball. Saw a lot more in the second when he linked well with Sako *****il the last minutes). Also helped out defensively a lot. Finally his volley was technically perfect for the winning goal.

Campbell – 5 – Ran hard but with no reward or end product, often beaten in the air by Fonte & Van Dijk. Unlucky when seemed to be impeded when going for a Souaré cross in the second half. However it was his refusal to give up what looked an obvious lost cause that created the opening for the winning goal. Points for attitude & approach but sadly lacks Wickham’s physicality or Gayle’s instinctive skills.

Sako – 6 – His arrival changed the match’s direction although after some initial touches Bakary didn’t do much beyond some good interplay with Zaha and a free kick wasted. What he did do was attract attention from Southampton’s central defenders and allow more space elsewhere on the pitch which the wingers exploited. One incident did annoy me – late in the game Zaha made a long run then laid the ball off for Sako bursting outside him: except Sako hadn’t moved. In fact he stood statuesque moaning at Wilf – even if he didn’t move for the pass he could have closed down the defender who picked up the ball on the corner flag & penned him in. It was a sloppy moment.

Chamakh – 5 – His first three acts after coming on were to fall over (twice) and give away a free kick. It did improve slightly after that but was seldom influential, and took a late knock in our box that saw him down for a couple of minutes.

Jedinak – 6 – Came on to stiffen the middle and made some good tackles, one bad one, and helped defend the aerial threat.

I didn’t hold out much hope for today: with Cabaye, Bolasie & Wickham all missing we did lack any real cutting edge. Hopefully we would keep it tight and it might be a game with only one goal in it. The weather even raised memories of that match in the mud when Coleman, Ndah & Watts all scored in one of Selhurst Park’s greatest cup nights. And for over an hour it was a truly fascinating match – admittedly Chelsea had grabbed that “one goal” – with the result in the balance. Not full of chances – neither keeper was overworked – but the tactical battle of two teams more dangerous on the break with the added spice of a soaked & greasy pitch. Palace worked so hard and it could be argued the first goal came against the run of play. But a second half miss followed a minute later by a superb drive into the roof of Hennessey’s net knocked the heart out of us, and as we tired & Chelsea had no need to press, the last 30 minutes were torture, with Chelsea deserving the win but the scoreline was misleading into how hard both teams had played.

One contentious note was the officiating of Mr. Friend. I have no quibbles with any of Palace’s three yellow cards: all were clear-cut cautionable offences. Yet Chelsea players committed a number of similar fouls without even being spoken to, some on multiple occasions. We don’t ask for a referee to get every decision right but we do expect consistency within a game, even by a ref’s strange thought processes. Chelsea were allowed to break the game up without sanction, so they kept repeating the acts. An early caution for Azpilicueta, Mikel or Fabregas similar to that given to Delaney would have restricted the number of fouls they would commit later in the game.

Pardew had problems with the aforementioned absences, so made threw changes from the Swansea starting XI: Delaney returned from injury to replace Hangeland; Lee came into midfield for the suspended Cabaye; and Campbell replaced the not-quite-fit Chamakh. The bench saw the return of Sako – supposedly ruled out through injury – and the return from Midlands’ exile of Jonny Williams. At the start Palace lined up 4-4-2 with Zaha alongside Campbell, Lee on the right & Puncheon on the left, but the formation proved fluid, with both Lee & Puncheon having spells down the middle while Wilf drifted wide. Chelsea looked to be more 4-2-3-1 with Mikel in particular covering the area in front of their defence – it was probably the strongest XI fielded by them this season, while we were at probably our weakest, certainly in terms of attacking prowess.

Despite that Palace started well: Zaha made space for one dangerous cross and then drove a shot just wide – sadly he didn’t continue in that vein. Neither could Palace and Chelsea acme back into the game, one brilliant challenge in the box by Delaney snuffing out their first possible opening, his next earning a yellow by coming through that thoroughly nice chap Costa. The midfield battle was fascinating and fluctuating, with McArthur and Jedinak up against players with big reputations (& egos to match). Hazard limped off early as neither side could gain the initiative, and play moved up & down the field as attack was followed by counter-attack. Everyone in a Palace shirt was working hard, Campbell & Lee in particular, although Zaha had lapsed back into one of those days where his speed of thought lagged behind his colleagues’, and his lack of anticipation in making off the ball runs caused several moves to be cut off. Despite that hard work we never came closer to a goal than Zaha’s early shot: Campbell couldn’t quite get enough on a fast low cross that skidded through to put it on target, while our set pieces tended to see Delaney heading up and Jedinak hustling Courtois without success.

The breakthrough was in part caused by the pitch, as Delaney – detailed to mark Costa – slipped as a through ball was played, allowing Costa time & space to draw Hennessey to the near post and deliver a simple ball for Oscar to knock in from close range. For a few minutes Palace wobbled and Hennessey had to make a routine save from Azpilicueta when Lee lost his man, but the battle was soon rejoined on a more equal footing, and while there were boos at half-time they were universally reserved for the Friend in yellow. Second half started with Chelsea earning a couple of corners then Zouma missed a far post header from a Willian free kick which he really should have scored from such close range. Yet the equilibrium was soon re-established and the game was in the balance again, with Jedinak cautioned for a typical foul, until there was a fateful 60 seconds. Campbell played Zaha in the inside-left channel, and although Wilf had time to take a touch to set himself, his shot was weak & straight at the keeper – sadly it summed up his performance for most of the game.

Within a minute the game was lost, and instead of 1-1 it was 2-0 as Willian escaped the attentions of Palace’s defensive screen to thump a drive into the roof of the net on Hennessey’s near post, but I doubt any keeper could have prevented that. The same could not be said for the third, when Wayne let Willian’s shot squirm from his grasp and Costa responded faster than Ward to score from a yard out; it may have been a greasy ball but I feel it was one Wayne should have held onto. Pardew had already been lining up a double change and replaced Campbell & Jedinak with Chamakh & Ledley but the game was gone. Palace’s adrenalin was spent, either physically or mentally, and the remainder of the match saw the return of Chelsea’s clever & fast passing play that they’d shown here last season. If it had not been for two Dann interceptions and one fine sliding tackle by Delaney it could have been five or six. Dann, who had switched to mark Costa in the second half, earned a yellow for a cynical foul, correctly awarded but had it been a black/grey shirt he was wearing he might have got away with it. Jonny Williams replaced Lee – I was surprised Zaha stayed on given his display – but it was into a beaten midfield, and even a consolation goal was beyond us, a late effort by Puncheon drifting into Courtois’s arms. I made it our third realistic strike on goal in 90 minutes, not that Chelsea had many more, while the quality of our crosses increasingly reflected our desperation.

Ratings

Hennessey – 6 – No chance with the first, I don’t think he had much with the second, but did feel he could have done better with the third in a very similar situation to McCarthy against City, and Julian a couple of times last season. Apart from that there was one sliced clearance as he took an age to line up a kick.

Ward – 7 – Had problems in the first half with attacks down his flank, perhaps not helped by the changes in position ahead of him, often leaving him outnumbered.

Souare – 6 – Will be interested to see if he should have closed down Oscar or Willian in the build-up to the second & third goals. His attacking runs were as good as his crosses were awful.

Delaney – 7 – Had a good first half marking Costa until he seemed to lose his footing against the through ball that led to their first goal. Two marvellous tackles, one in each half that if he had mistimed would have been red cards & penalties. As ever cannot fault his efforts.

Dann – 8 – Played the spare man at the back in the first half then switched to mark Costa in the second with Damien on a caution. Made two good interceptions in the second half that prevented a rout, along with a yellow for chopping down Costa.

Jedinak – 7 – Fine defensive display by Jedinak but would like to see how easily the midfield screen was evaded for their second & third goals. His passing was poor at times, a couple of those inadvertent scoops showing up, but was string in the air & the tackle. Second yellow in successive matches.

McArthur – 7 – Very good for an hour when he seemed to be everywhere, not only backing up the Jedi defensively but looking to be the fulcrum of the team, spreading passes from the middle of the pitch. As with Jedi would need to see replays of the second half goals to see how Willian twice got shots off. As with the rest of the team his performance dropped once the second went in.

Lee – 6 – Started brightly with a good cross and worked fine both down the right & in the middle. Had one effort on goal that he hit high when on that pitch a driven shot-cum-cross would be a better option. Gradually he was less influential & was withdrawn for Williams late on.

Puncheon – 6 – Like most of the team had a fine game for an hour. Many of Palace’s attacking threats involved Jason in some form.

Zaha – 5 – Started brightly with an early shot, but soon drifted away into one of those displays where he didn’t anticipate where the ball would be played, and increasingly lost possession. Missed a great chance for an equaliser, and then finally got fired up when it was too late, when he showed his tricks but followed them up with some appalling crossing. Really should have been subbed to drive home that a place in the team is on performance, not reputation.

Campbell – 7 – Yeah, a surprisingly high mark for a striker who had one half-chance at goal, and that a difficult cross beyond the far post at an acute angle. Yet his efforts never flagged and, as seems common for us these Premier League seasons, despite being shot-shy our striker did get involved in making potential openings for others. If Wilf had displayed the same work ethic today we may well have grabbed a point. He never let Chelsea’s back four or keeper have a moment’s peace.

Subs:

Ledley – 6 – Difficult for all the subs to come into a beaten side; Joe had a couple of good moments but also conceded the ball once in dangerous circumstances.

Chamakh – 5 – Hardly saw the ball, although given Chelsea monopolised it after he joined the game that’s not really his fault.

Williams – 6 – A couple of nice touches, one run that resembled a terrier chasing its tail, but still good to see Jonny back in a Palace shirt.

(Souare photo by Sebastian Frey)

Another story of neither side having the ability required to break the deadlock. Unusually Palace probably shaded possession against Swansea – something we’d never had considered remotely possible 18 months ago – but the loss of Bolasie’s mercurial pace & skills and Wickham’s stolid central striker role left us short of the wit or sheer brute force to find a goal. Swansea were undoubtedly more defensive in outlook than usual and, given their League position, the happier with a point, although they nearly snatched an undeserved win in the last minute. Palace didn’t really do enough to deserve a win either and also suffered a blow in the immediate future with Cabaye suspended for next Sunday’s clash with Chelsea.

Pardew made four changes from the starting XI at Bournemouth: out went Delaney (injury), Ledley (match fitness?), Mutch (better option available) and Campbell (rotation?); in at central defender was Hangeland, Jedinak & Cabaye in midfield and Chamakh up front. In the first half Cabaye played in an advanced role to support Chamakh, and at first all went well: Palace applied early pressure and Swansea appeared as jittery at the back as Newcastle did. Yet this happy state of affairs didn’t last long, and apart from one dangerous cross from Zaha Palace produced absolutely nothing material.

The first half was, in retrospect, one of the most featureless of recent seasons. Two teams managed one real effort on goal, and Cabaye’s effort was so high & wide it scarcely deserved that category. Zaha flattered to deceive on the right, but the real problem came down our left, where Puncheon kept drifting inside, necessitating Chamakh pulling wide and so removing our one direct goal threat from the area. Swansea were not much better, one break by Barrow ended by an excellent Dann tackle, and Hennessey coming out smartly to seize a dangerous looking through ball. The real talking point was referee Swarbrick: Cabaye & Zaha were fouled on numerous occasions yet the assailants went unpunished; Cabaye’s first foul – admittedly his foot was high but so was his opponent’s – drew a yellow card. This was made even more unbelievable when Hangeland was caught on the turn and dragged down Gomis (I think – struggled to tell him & Emnes apart) for the most obvious yellow card yet escaped with barely a word muttered by the official.

The second half was better as the game stretched and there was more space available. Chamakh was replaced at the interval by Bamford which supplied a little more mobility but less effective use of the ball. An early Palace free kick on the flank saw Hangeland’s header well saved by that famous Welsh (or so Nelson Muntz claims) keeper Fabianski but the effort wouldn’t have counted with a flag raised for offside. Bamford was unable to provide a focus for Palace’s attacks but with more spaces appearing Palace looked good down both flanks: Zaha on the right delivered a couple of really dangerous crosses, while Puncheon & Souaré provided a potent threat down the left. Cabaye also dropped deeper and McArthur pushed forward. Dann had a header off target before Souaré was booked for a combination of deliberate handball & tugging his opponent back. It was noticeable that Swansea all game concentrated on Pape’s flank with high balls aimed in his direction. Both teams also looked to stop the playing of the ball out from the back, even at goal kicks, and one series of increasingly dodgy passes between Hennessey, Hangeland & Dann nearly gifted the Swans an opening late on.

As Swansea began to send on their substitutes Hennessey pushed a shot from Barrow over the bar – it wasn’t a convincing save as he seemed in two minds whether to catch or punch. Lee came on for Puncheon down the left and Palace then created their best chance of the match, a little pinball in Swansea’s area ending up at the feet of Bamford – sadly he shot straight at Fabianski. Mutch then replaced McArthur and immediately made a strong run in on goal from left midfield; unfortunately his shot was directed wide of the far post. Mutch then played Souaré in the left side of the box but Pape’s effort from a tight angle was blocked by the advancing keeper. In the dying minutes a Cabaye free kick wasn’t cleared properly and Zaha wriggled free but shot across the face of goal. Swansea nearly completed daylight robbery when Wilf lost possession on the halfway line and Hangeland was beaten by Gomis, dragging him down and earning a caution; Sigurdsson’s free lick was perfectly struck (think Puncheon’s against City last season – same spot, same finish) and looked a certain goal until Hennessey’s long left arm stretched across to tip the ball wide to thunderous applause from the Whitehorse.

Hennessey – 7 – Very little to do. Thought he nearly fluffed a high shot in the second half, but his save of Sigurdsson’s late free kick was brilliant.

Ward – 7 – Composed in defence, but then Swansea tended to attack the other flank, and played well supporting the attack. Was one moment in the second half when the ball was lodged in our area and Joel had the wisdom to thump it out of play.

Souaré – 6 – Struggled at times as Swansea were attacking 2 or 3 strong down his wing, and most goal kicks were played in his direction for an aerial challenge. His booking summed up the problems he had with Barrow. Going forward he played more as a left winger than Puncheon, often providing the width, and his crosses were often dangerous, and he was denied his first Palace goal by some good keeping by Fabianski.

Hangeland – 5 – Did liven the game up with some almost suicidal attempts to play the ball at the back. Had trouble with Gomis all match, twice hauling the attacker down when caught on the turn; should have been booked for the first, but only cautioned for the second.

Dann – 7 – Stopped Swansea’s one dangerous first half attack with a perfectly timed & executed tackle. Dominated Swansea’s attack in the air.

Jedinak – 6 – Good in the tackle and in the air, but how limited his passing (or should that be scooping?) is highlighted by the play of McArthur & particularly Cabaye. Still did his job efficiently and we did see more of the ball than we usually do against these opponents.

McArthur – 6 – Played first half in a normal midfield position and played some good balls across the park but not many incisive through balls. More advanced in the second half and had greater influence. Overall as consistent as ever. Withdrawn for Mutch on 75 minutes.

Cabaye – 6 – Some good play in the first half but for little reward. His shot was way off-target and his booking undeserved in terms of what had gone before, but his foot was high so can understand why in isolation Swarbrick booked him. Dropped deeper in the second half but was unable to impress himself on the game.

Puncheon – 6 – Some good moments as usual, but is he supposed to be playing as a left winger or someone coming inside? He’s not really doing the former job and too often the width came from the left back. I prefer Jason in a more central role and he did have some very good moments in the second half.

Zaha – 6 – Started well with a dangerous cross but was well policed & fouled after that, with no protection from the officials. Second half had more space and looked more dangerous, delivering some really dangerous crosses, and nearly breaking the deadlock himself.

Chamakh – 6 – Worked hard and looked more mobile than he had at Stoke & Bournemouth, but too often his time on the ball was spent in areas that don’t hurt the opposition, often out on the left wing. Didn’t have a sight of goal and let one good ball across the box run in front of him. Replaced at half time.

Bamford – 5 – More mobile than Chamakh but without Marouane’s nous, sometimes unable to play the ball when he should, and his touch sometimes a bit heavy. Tried hard but really shouldn’t have given Fabianski a prayer with our best chance.

Lee Chung-yong – 6 – Replaced Puncheon but can’t really recall hi involved in anything especially good or bad.

Mutch – 6 – If he’d been on the pitch longer than 15 minutes that 6 would be a 7, as Jordon impressed with the first signs of drive. Made a chance for himself with a strong run but his shot was off-target, he also set up a chance for Souaré.