ROY HODGSON suffered an Iceland flashback as Palace were humiliated by brilliant Bristol City.
Bakary Sako had put the visitors in front with a cool strike on 21 minutes. But it all fell apart for the Eagles as a Patrick van Aanholt gaffe allowed Matty Taylor to level.
Milan Djuric then put the hosts ahead, firing in after a long throw from Icelander Hordur Magnusson.
It recalled the equaliser the defender’s nation scored, which also came from a long throw, in the 2-1 win that embarrassed England at Euro 2016 and cost Hodgson his job.
Second-half scorchers from Joe Bryan and Callum O’Dowda rubbed salt into the wounds. Bristol City represented Hodgson’s first managerial post in England when he took over in 1982.
His tenure lasted just four months though in a spell he labelled “a disaster” due to the financial problems at the club.
And despite a dream start, another Ashton Gate nightmare was to follow here. Palace, fresh off their shock win over Chelsea and a better, if ultimately unsuccessful trip to Newcastle, bossed the early stages.
Hodgson made ten changes - with fall-guy Van Aanholt ironically the only one to survive - and the incomings were eager to impress, as Lee Chung-Yong walloped the bar with seven minutes played.
The visitors had the lead soon after as Ruben Loftus-Cheek fed Sako who calmly drove under Luke Steele for the Eagles’ sixth goal of the season. But the game changed completely when Van Aanholt had his moment to forget.
The Dutchman miskicked a clearance and then, when attempting to head back to Wayne Hennessey, he nodded straight to Taylor, who chested it down and volleyed past the helpless Palace keeper.
The Robins had their tails up at that point, with Italian Eros Pisano delighting the crowd with a cheeky nutmeg on Sulley Kaikai. Even the loss to injury of powerhouse forward Famara Diedhiou failed to dent their progress.
On came Djuric as his replacement and he put the hosts in front in horribly familiar circumstances for Hodgson. The Bosnian somehow outmuscled the Palace defenders to turn and lash into the net after Magnusson’s long throw.
City keeper Steele denied levellers with two brilliant stops to repel Sako and Puncheon.
But a bad night turned into a Hodgson horrorshow when first Bryan blasted in off the bar from the far side of the box, and then O’Dowda found the corner from 22 yards with a low drive.
From The Sun
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