CRYSTAL PALACE soared to their highest League position of the season and are now only outside of the top ten on goal difference.
Roy Hodgson’s team have now lost just one of their last 12 League games after spending the first three months rooted to the foot of the table.
They took the lead in the 20th minute when Bakary Sako cut inside Phil Bardsley and beat the unsighted Nick Pope with a low shot through the legs of James Tarkowski.
In only his second Premier League start of the season, the Malian international was clearly out to make the most of his rare opportunity. He was convinced he should have had an 11th minute penalty when he was sent crashing by Tarkoswki’s risky challenge which appeared to take out both man and ball at pretty much the same time.
And his low cross into the danger zone caused further panic in the Burnley defence before Pope and Tarkoswki managed to scramble the ball away from the lurking Wilfried Zaha.
Christian Benteke was fractionally off target with a towering header from Luka Milivojevic’s 28th minute corner as Palace continued to dominate. Burnley, without a win in their previous six games, were offering precious little threat of their own and were clearly missing record signing Chris Wood up front.
They were fortunate to escape further punishment when Charlie Taylor’s weak header was intercepted by Zaha and it required a brilliant last-ditch clearance by Ben Mee to prevent James McArthur from converting. Benteke’s flick from a Patrick van Aanholt shot was clawed away by Pope before Sako came within inches of doubling Palace’s advantage with a vicious volley across the face of goal just before half-time.
The visitors briefly rallied after the break, with Ashley Barnes and Sam Vokes both heading narrowly wide.
But it was never going to be enough to deny Palace another priceless three points as they continue to edge their way to safety.
From The Sun
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