Crystal Palace suffered a heart-breaking, late defeat at Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon as a Troy Deeney double condemned the Eagles to their sixth defeat of 2016.
Emmanuel Adebayor levelled the scoreline shortly before half-time following Deeney’s early penalty, but Watford talisman kept his cool seven minutes from time to strike low and beyond Wayne Hennessey from close-range.
Pardew bemoans 'poor and unbalanced' side
Manager Alan Pardew felt his side were unlucky to lose the game, however he did concede that the team selection was poor, telling his press conference, “that was as poor and unbalanced a side as I’ve put out for Palace.”
Pardew’s side were lethargic and lacked tenacity in the first-half and were fortunate not to head back towards the dressing room in a losing position. They improved in the second-half and had chances to win the game, but Deeney’s late goal against the run of play was the result of more poor defending from Palace.
How did each Palace player perform?
Wayne Hennessey – 6: Made two vital saves in quick succession in the first-half; first to deny Nordin Amrabat, and then Deeney’s follow up. The Welshman also did well to hold onto a Nathan Ake attempt midway through the second-half as both teams strived to find the decisive goal. Looks to have turned a corner following a bad run of form that drew heavy criticism from his manager, and is now undoubtedly Palace’s first-choice goalkeeper.
Defensive lapse costs Palace
Joel Ward – 6: Performed well and had the better of Amrabat - who rarely troubled the right-back. Only mistake of the game was a costly error as he was caught too central trying to defend former Eagle Ben Watson’s cross, which eventually found Deeney who made no mistake in sending Watford away victorious.
Scott Dann – 6: Deeney and particularly Odion Ighalo were not able to strike up their usual partnership in the game – despite Deeney’s two goals – and this was largely due to some resolute defending from Palace’s defensive partnership: Dann and Damien Delaney. Dann had the ball in the net in the first-half but referee Bobby Madley had already whistled for a foul.
Damien Delaney – 6: Similarly to Dann, defended well but the only real lapse in concentration defensively led to Watford’s late winner. Tried to lead from the back as Palace went in search of a late equaliser but the effort wasn’t quite enough.
Pape Souare – 4: One of the left-back’s poorest displays in a Palace shirt. He was eventually sent-off but could have received his marching orders in the first-half when he clutched onto the shirt of Amrabat when the Watford winger seemed through on goal. Luckily for Souare, Madley had already blown for a foul from Yohan Cabaye. Ultimately had his game ended a few minutes early when his two-footed lunge on Valon Behrami could have broken the midfielder’s leg had he made sufficient contact.
Jedinak struggles once again while Cabaye has an off-day
Mile Jedinak – 4: Has become very error-prone in recent months and his needless pull on Deeney that led to the opening goal was not the first time Jedinak has been guilty of conceding a penalty in similar circumstances. Almost cost Palace another goal soon after when his stray pass found Amrabat who surged forward and had to be denied superbly by Hennessey. Looks uncomfortable in possession and poor positioning often leads to him having to sacrifice a booking to stop an attack.
Yohan Cabaye – 5: A poor first-half was summed up when an audacious attempt from a 40-yard free-kick whistled well over the crossbar. Improved in the second-half as Palace slightly altered their shape, but the Frenchman often found himself surrounded by Watford players every time he received the ball. Only real sighting of his usual class came late in the game when he wonderfully controlled a left-footed volley that agonisingly hit the foot of the post.
Jordon Mutch – 6: Fails to get enough credit for the job he does. Came close to scoring when his driven 25-yard effort was parried by Heurelho Gomes, while he also kept the ball well throughout the game. If he can add goals and assists to his game, he will be appreciated much more.
Wilfried Zaha – 7: Pardew switched Zaha to the left side of the attack following a first-half that saw Ake get the better of the winger. This tactical change almost turned out to be a masterstroke as Zaha created several chances and Allan Nyom struggled to contain him. Almost laid the ball on a plate for Adebayor, but the striker’s sliding effort was somehow clawed away by Gomes with the score still at 1-1. Palace’s best player on the day by a long, long distance.
Adebayor nets first Palace goal
Emmanuel Adebayor – 6: A poor first half was covered up by a superb header which brought flashbacks of why he was a multi-million pound signing for some of English football’s top clubs. Still looks slightly unfit but this was to be expected having not played regular football for 18 months. Could easily have had a hat-trick but goals will definitely come.
Connor Wickham – 5: If there’s one thing Pardew would have learned from the game, it’s that his £8million signing from Sunderland is certainly not a winger. A wonderful assist for Adebayor’s goal just before half-time was to be his last - and only - notable involvement in the game as he was replaced by Chung-yong Lee at the interval. Struggled to protect Souare and his qualities are much better suited to a centre forward role.
Substitutions fail to make an impact
Chung-yong Lee – 5: Replaced Wickham at half-time but failed to have a big impact on the game. Cleverly disguised a late free-kick towards goal when it seemed as though he would cross, however Gomes was equal to the effort.
Fraizer Campbell – 4: Replaced Mutch after 70 minutes but it was probably better off keeping a tiring Mutch on the pitch. Hardly touched the ball, but when he did, it was to no avail. Struggles to make himself a threat in the penalty area and didn’t link up with Adebayor at all. The change to 4-4-2 actually won Watford the game as Palace had committed more players to the attack as Watford broke away and scored the decisive goal.