Minute-by-Minute Review: Palace 3 - 1 Sunderland

6'- Pretty slow start to this one.
8'- Campana has the first shot for either side. Low and easy save.
9'- Corner kick swooped in and deflected into the net! Dikgacoi claims it, but Gabbidon's credited with the last touch. 1-0 Palace!
11'- Good block off a dangerous shot from the edge.
15'- Weird 30-45 second run of technical difficulties from the international feed. Replays run in reverse, both manager's reactions are shown in fast frame. Weird.
18'- Good through ball to Gayle, but just a bit too heavy.
21'- Sunderland cross is dangerous, headed away by Ward. Their forward pulled out; would've been a sitter.
26'- Puncheon makes a good move with space. Curled wide of the right post.
30'- Gabbidon defending well again.
31'- Cross by Giaccherini cleared well by Gabbi.
33'- Chamakh drops to Dikgacoi, but fires well over the bar.
35'- Puncheon looks for the far post after Chamakh leaves it, but hits it wide.
37'- Gayle's deflection shot saved easy after a beautiful passing run.
38'- Di Canio frustrated and lost in thought.
40'- Campana's free kick headed away for a corner.
42'- Jedinak gets a breakaway and streaks in, but the curler just misses the top corner.
44'- Sunderland's shot deflects off of Gabbi's elbow and away.
45'- One added minute.

Half- Decent first half. Let's hold the lead this time, please.

(NBC coverage interrupted at halftime for Obama's remarks regarding Syria. Thank goodness for the NBC Sports Live Extra internet stream.)
46'- Speroni punches away a free kick.
(NBC coverage returns in the 48th minute.)
52'- Ball deflected away for a Palace corner, but no damage can be done.
54'- Williams in for Campana. Danger near the box is avoided by the defense.
56'- Jedinak running with acres of space, curls one wide right.
57'- Gayle's shot deflected away for a corner.
58'- Sunderland is pressured, Gayle had space to break, but it's hacked away for a corner.
61'- Puncheon gets free, sprays a shot wide left.
63'- Arlo White: "A wonderful din being created here at Selhurst Park." Ollie is shown running up the stairs and out onto the concourse. He's back in a flash.
(NBC cuts away to Obama press conference again.)
64'- Fletcher heads home off a cross past a diving Speroni. 1-1.
67'- Optimistic volley from Moxey goes well high and wide.
70'- Puncheon's move and pass into the box knocked clear.
71'- Pass back to Williams on a break, mishit left.
75'- Long clear from Speroni falls to Sunderland, and hacked away by Gabbi at the last moment to avoid a certain blunder.
(NBC returns to coverage -- again -- in the 77th.)
78'- Gayle taken down in the box. Clear penalty. O'Shea gets a red.
79'- Gayle slots it home from the spot! Underneath the keeper. 2-1 Palace.

Gayle wheels away from the spot after scoring Palace's second goal. (Getty Images)

83'- O'Keefe for Chamakh, and Wilbraham replaces Gayle.
84'- Puncheon leaves for Williams inside the box, well palmed away by the keeper.
85'- Another low drive by Williams, saved low.
86'- Gabbi misplayed a header near the edge of the box, almost costs Palace again.
89'- Dikgacoi's long drive, with pace, has to be tipped over the bar.
90'- Four additional minutes to go.
90'+2- O'Keefe seals it! Gets it from Puncheon at the edge of the box, curled into the top left corner. Great strike. Ollie dancing on the touchline.

FINAL: PALACE 3 - 1 SUNDERLAND

After another second half scare after the visitors tied it up, the Eagles took control in the second half, including the goal of the game by O'Keefe to seal the deal. First win in the books! A week's rest before heading to Old Trafford against Man Utd in the early kickoff on the 14th.

My "Man of the Match":

#16: Dwight Gayle (Getty Images)

Minute-by-Minute Review: Stoke City 2 - 1 Palace

Pre-match- Campana and Puncheon making their debuts. Good choice to shake things up a little.

2'- "Eagles" chants coming through loud and clear at the Britannia...
3'- Palace pressing early.
5'- First glimpse by Stoke. Header lightly to Speroni.
6'- Straight shot held by Speroni.
7'- Interception by Palace. Deflected cross couldn't find anyone.
8'- Another cross grabbed by Speroni. And are Mile and Chamakh missing the sponsor's patch on their jerseys?
12'- Three straight corners conceded. No damage done.
14'- Giving away possession far too cheaply here.
16'- First real attempt for Palace. Low shot from Gayle off the break. Little power, though.
18'- Ward's shout for a penalty denied after he gets shoved in the back.
19'- Ollie frustrated again.
21'- Crouch's header off of a cross just goes over. Phew.
24'- Campana's free kick finds Jedinak, but he can only float a header into the waiting arms of the keeper.
28'- Crouch and Jedinak clashed heads accidentally. Crouch down.
31'- CHAMAKH! Looping ball was settled down nicely, and beautifully slotted home! Off and running! 1-0 Palace!

Chamakh gets Palace's first goal of the season. (Getty Images)

 

33'- Almost an immediate response from Stoke. Header deflected off the bar.

35'- Moxey's drive just wide of the far post.

37'- Yellow to Shawcross for Stoke.

38'- Campana's free kick swung just over the bar from the left side.

42'- Adam's free kick straight to Speroni.

45'- Two added minutes.

45'+1- A "foul throw" against Stoke. Don't see that often. Reminds me of my clinic days, where there would be about five of those a game.

Half- Fans appreciative of the effort, and Ollie acknowledges them. No changes to either side.

47'- Corner for Stoke. Crouch's header thankfully is mishit in the air.

49'- Stoke's up for this second half. Early dominance in possession.

52'- Corner to Stoke. Nzonzi fires wide right.

53'- Walters on the break for Stoke. Fired over.

58'- Charlie Adam gets the loose ball in the box. Low and to the right of Speroni. 1-1.

61'- Adam again, from 20 yards this time. Straight at Speroni. Stoke ramping up the pressure.

62'- Defense can't clear the ball out. Loose header then falls to Shawcross for a sitter. Sloppy. 2-1 Stoke.

63'- Garvan and Williams replace Campana and Chamakh for the Eagles.

65'- Puncheon on the right side of the box. Almost squeezed the ball through off the hand of Begovic.

69'- Phillips up again on the bench for the second straight match.

75'- Nzonzi hits a curler from 20 yards that luckily nails the far post.

76'- Phillips comes in for Puncheon.

77'- A deflection falls to Phillips, but he fires wide left from 25 yards.

79'- Another shot of Ollie on the sidelines. Unhappy. Garvan's optimistic blast goes well high and wide.

80'- Dikgacoi crosses to Gayle, who one-times one across the face of goal.

84'- Dangerous position for this Palace free kick, right at the edge of the 18. Mile thumps it straight into the wall.

85'- Weird clearance by Speroni there. Shanked it miserably.

88'- A looping free kick is flung high and straight to a waiting Begovic.

90'- Four additional minutes.

90'+1- Gayle fires well over the bar from a Williams feed.

FINAL: STOKE CITY 2 - 1 PALACE

A good showing in the first half gave way to sloppy defending in the second, and a lack of scoring opportunities cost the Eagles in the end. Back home against Sunderland next week.

My "Man of the Match":

#2: Joel Ward (Neil Everitt)

Minute-by-Minute Review: Palace 0 - 1 Tottenham Hotspur

During each Palace match (when I'm able), I'll jot down some minute-by-minute thoughts during the match and relay them to this space after the match. They could be on the game itself, the match commentary, random musings, etc. I'll also pick a Palace "Man of the Match" as well. Hope you enjoy.

5'- Too much time in our own end. First cross right into the hands of goalkeeper Lloris.
9'- Good defensive work by the captain, Mile. Still need more possession.
11'- Ollie animated as always.

Ian Holloway strikes the "Hi-ya" pose. (Getty Images)

12'- First real sustained attack. No one home for a cross.

13'- Commentator notes that CPFC is the "earthy" London club. (Note: The States airs simulcasts on the NBC family of networks, with the international match commentators, but on certain matches, will use their team of Arlo White and Lee Dixon.) Meanwhile, Dembele's strike just skims over. Heart in throat.

15'- A good omen: NBC graphic shows Palace's last meeting against Spurs was a 3-0 win on January 22, 2005.

16'- The early nerves are still showing.

17'- Ward turns his ankle. Magic spray comes out.

20'- Closed-captioning hilarity: Who's Mr. "Van Sinkle"? Turns out it's Arsene Wenger.

22'- The "We love you..." chant is going at full force!

24'- Good challenge by Moxey, saving another cross by Aaron Lennon.

27'- Garvan swings a beautiful cross to Wilbraham, but heads straight at the keeper.

28'- Moxey playing great D right now. And more Ollie animation.

29'- 65% to 35% possession for Spurs right now.

35'- Passing's abysmal at times. Great save by Speroni on Sigurdsson, tipping it over.

37'- Passing accuracy graphic: 64% to 86% for Spurs. Story of the match so far.

40'- Another dangerous chance. Speroni falls on the rebound.

42'- Commentary on the contrast in managers: AVB "looks like he's going out to dinner."

45'- 3 minutes of stoppage time.

45'+3- Spurs header flies over for the last touch of the half. Relieved to still be level after 45 minutes.

47'- First chance of the second half: Moxey straight into Lloris.

49'- Unlucky handball off a sliding Moxey. Penalty.

50'- Soldado loops the spot-kick in past Speroni. 1-0 Spurs.

56'- Couple corners in a row for Palace.

57'- Decent spell of possession.

61'- Commentary after a Tottenham chance goes well awry: "That's done more damage to the supermarket behind than anything else."

65'- Gayle skies one just over the bar from 20 yards.

66'- Triple substitution as Williams, Chamakh, and Phillips relieve Dobbie, Garvan, and Wilbraham. Liking Ollie's style here.

69'- Dodged a bullet there. Sigurdsson sprays one wide left in the clear. 13-2 shot advantage for the visitors.

70'- Good movement by Chamakh, trying to find Gayle. Seconds later, they almost get through on goal, as Lloris was out of position.

73'- Palace supporters are in full voice at Selhurst. Awesome noise.

77'- Moxey again saving with a slide on Soldado's cross.

80'- Shots are 16-2 now.

83'- Phillips goes for the glory from 25 yards, but pulls the shot wide.

85'- Off a corner, Delaney's tight angle shot is saved.

88'- Defoe almost seals it for Spurs. Another break. And they're just now using the "Offside" graphic? Come on, NBC.

89'- Ollie still fired up.

90'- Gayle to Phillips to Dikgacoi. Shot saved from 15 yards. Rebound by Dikgacoi is saved. Three minutes of stoppage to go.

90'+1- Almost misplayed by Spurs, but Lloris leaps to grab the backwards header.

 

FINAL: PALACE 0 - 1 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Proud of the effort by Palace. An unlucky penalty was all that stood between them and a well-deserved point.

My "Man of the Match":

#15: Mile Jedinak (Getty Images)

Some predictions for 2013/14 as a whole, as well as the season opener.

(Note: I wouldn't wager extreme amounts of money on these.) ;-)

Final 2013/14 Premier League Table:
1. Chelsea
2. Manchester United
3. Arsenal
4. Manchester City
5. Tottenham Hotspur
6. Liverpool
7. Everton
8. Fulham
9. Sunderland
10. Aston Villa
11. Newcastle
12. Stoke City
13. Swansea City
14. Norwich City
15. West Ham United
16. Crystal Palace
17. Southampton
18. West Bromwich Albion
19. Hull City
20. Cardiff City

As for the Palace opener against Spurs on Sunday, I'm picking a 0-1 scoreline at halftime, with Palace evening things up after the interval with a goal from newcomer Jose Campana (if in the starting XI), then dropping a heartbreaking 1-2 decision with minutes to spare.

(Hey, I never said it was going to all lollipops and roses...)

Is 16th too optimistic?

So, I've been racking my brain, trying to come up with a prediction for Palace's finish this season. Most of the pundits have the Eagles back down to the Championship by the end of the season in May, although I did see one soul pick the Eagles to avoid being relegation fodder.

I'd like to think the club can avoid the yo-yo hoodoo (no pun or rhyme intended) that's plagued them in 1992/93, 94/95, 97/98, and 2004/05. Gosh, that's hard to look at, even now.

Obviously, the club needed offensive weapons, with Wilf Zaha gone to United and Glenn Murray out for the foreseeable future.

Re-signing playoff final hero Kevin Phillips will be a good boost in terms of leadership for CPFC, especially for the young guns on the team.

Jose Campana, the Sevilla signing, is an intriguing one, as is Marouane Chamakh, the latter being with Arsenal, always a force to be reckoned with.

I have no issues with the defense, and of course, Speroni's solid in between the sticks.

So, what do you think? Am I drinking too much of the Kool-Aid? 16th sounds pretty reasonable to me.

Damien Delaney's (bot?) spams me.

So, yesterday, I was on Twitter (shameless plug: follow me @umbie08) when a direct message notification came through my inbox. Now, I've only received three DMs in about an 18-month span, so this piqued my curiosity. And, believe it or not, it was from Palace's own number 27.

Now, the single question "Where?" provoked me. Was he inquiring as to where the closest USA chapter of the CPFC fan club was? Did he misplace his keys? Was he trying to find the pitch at Dulwich Hamlet for the next friendly?

Anyway, the "tinyurl" address should've clued me in, but overcome with celebrity envy, I clicked the link. A fake Twitter login page appeared, which I actually spotted quite quickly due to the misspelled URL in the address bar. So, I calmly closed out the browser and reopened it. My computer hasn't imploded, thankfully, but I'm keeping a keener eye out. You hear me, Kev? Mile? Jules?

So, a fan of CPFC? Living in the States? What's up with that?

Glad you asked. Since I started following the club in '08, I've always dreamed of a run to the Premier League, and obviously, on last May 27th, the wish of all Eagles supporters was granted by one Kevin Phillips.

(Photo: mirror.co.uk)

Now that the Eagles are back in the top flight, my goal is to watch every Palace match live and write a post about my thoughts after the match. I know, not exactly an original idea, but it gives me a chance to get back into blogging, and to write about one of my favorite passions, the "beautiful game."

I'll also post some random Palace-related items in between matches that intrigue me, strike me funny, or get me thinking.

Hope you enjoy! C'mon you Eagles!

"Cause we support the Palace, the Palace, the Palace! And that's the way we like it, we like it, we like it!"