Minute-by-Minute Review: Palace 0 - 2 Manchester United

2'- Jedinak's high, looping cross headed by Murray; deflected for a corner.
7'- Januzaj fires wide right from the edge of the box.
17'- Januzaj settles and slots it home, but it's disallowed for a handball in the box.
26'- Vidic heads over the bar from close range, after the corner gets rebounded and crossed by Rooney.
28'- Parr flicks header off the free kick, deflects off Smalling, and saved for a corner.
34'- Ince's cross from the edge of the box finds Chamakh, who misses a free header.
42'- Rooney's 25-yard curler is straight at Jules.
43'- Fellaini gets the loose ball inside 10 yards, and skews the shot wide left.
45'- One added minute.
45'+1- Rooney curls the free kick over the wall and wide left from outside the box.

46'- 72%-28% possession for United after 45 minutes.
48'- Two quick corners for Palace. Second one is curled by Ward, tipped over by De Gea.
49'- Ince hits the volley over the bar after a good spell in the United end.
50'- Puncheon toe-pokes one from the box; straight at De Gea.
58'- 51%-49% possession for Palace so far in the second half.
59'- Vidic gets a yellow for a foul on Murray. Murray's volley goes straight to De Gea.
61'- Chamakh fouls Evra just inside the box. Penalty given.
62'- Van Persie booms it high and to Speroni's left.
66'- Fellaini's low drive saved well by a diving Speroni. Jerome replaces Murray.
67'- Jerome's curler to the far post is tipped by De Gea.
69'- Rooney blasts one in after a cross from Evra; tipped off fingers of Speroni and into the top corner.
71'- Van Persie breaks in and rattles the bar from 8 yards out.
74'- Ince maneuvers and misses wide from a tight angle. Bolasie is in for Chamakh.
78'- Bolasie hums one low; just held on to by De Gea.
79'- Januzaj's low shot with little pace is held easily by Speroni.
80'- Valencia replaces Van Persie, Giggs for Januzaj.
85'- Gayle replaces Ince. Header by Ward off Bolasie's cross is held easily by De Gea.
88'- Fletcher replaces Fellaini.
90'- Four added minutes.
90'+1- Giggs gets a yellow for a foul on Ward. Dann heads wide off the resulting free kick.

FINAL: PALACE 0 - 2 MANCHESTER UNITED

My "Man of the Match":

Mile. Another solid performance.

Next up, a trip to Swansea on March 2nd.

Minute-by-Minute Review: Palace 3 - 1 West Brom

6'- Ince swings the free kick wide right.
7'- Anichebe latches on to the long pass, but pokes it right at Speroni.
9'- Corner headed towards the far post, but cleared off the line by Mulumbu.
14'- 39% to 61% possession. Puncheon's tight angle cross finds Bolasie, who heads straight at the keeper.
15'- Ince scores on his debut! Runs through after the ball was won off Bolasie, and chips it over into the corner of the net.
24'- Dawson fires high after the ball was set up on a tee after the corner.
27'- Ince swoops in a great corner to Ledley, who thumps the header in! 2-0!
29'- Mulumbu shanks it wide left.
31'- 33%-67% possession.
33'- Low free kick is off the wall and into Speroni.
39'- Jones gets a yellow for a tackle on Ince.
45'- Two added minutes.

Half- Sinclair in for Ridgewell, Thievy in for Gera.

46'- Thievy scores from a tight angle at the edge of the six.
47'- Clock/sub graphic malfunction.
53'- Score box corrected.
62'- Bolasie fires high after corner gets through all the way to the line and then cleared.
63'- Ince wins a loose high ball, but headed straight at Foster.
65'- Yacob booked. Morrison's rocket palmed away by Jules.
66'- Pinball to Mulumbu after the corner, hit into the ground, and pounced on by Speroni. Excellent goalkeeping.
68'- Chamakh on the break, bumped by Foster. Penalty awarded. No card to Foster.
69'- Chamakh strikes it low and to the right from the spot. Two-goal advantage restored!
71'- Berahino in for Yacob. Murray in for Puncheon. Welcome back. Great ovation for #17.
75'- Parr in for Bolasie.
77'- Berahino tight-angle shot is held by Speroni.
79'- Brunt yellow for a hard tackle on Ince.
81'- Morrison low shot trapped by Jules.
82'- Anichebe makes a great run, but miscues high. Thomas replaces Chamakh.
84'- Jones' weak drive found by Speroni.
86'- The wind playing havoc with the ball and the corner flag.
87'- 36-64% possession.
89'- Jedinak's screamer from 30 yards held well by Foster.
90'- Corner cleared down and off Berahino, whose reflex sends it wide right. Three added minutes.

FINAL: PALACE 3 - 1 WEST BROM

My "Man of the Match":

(Getty Images)

Tom Ince. Great first goal, and a great corner to set up the second. Excellent debut along with Ledley. Birthday match against Everton on Wednesday.

Minute-by-Minute Review: Arsenal 2 - 0 Palace

7'- Pass to Monreal, but Speroni comes out to deny a scoring opportunity off his legs.
11'- Cazorla sprays the free kick high.
13'- Chamakh makes a good move, but too heavy of a touch to get a shot away.
18'- Another turn by Chamakh, but again, too heavy of a pass for Puncheon.
23'- Wenger struggles to zip up his large puffy coat. So many snaps and zippers.
26'- Mile's bear-hugging Giroud in the box on the replay.
31'- 79%-21% possession for Arsenal, but little penetration of the Palace defense.
34'- Free kick towards the corner, through the wall, and tipped away by Jules.
36'- Ball through to Sagna, who slides together with Speroni. Both take a knock.
42'- Chamakh picks up a yellow.
43'- Mertesacker's header off a free kick is straight at Speroni.
45'- Two added minutes.
45'+1- Koscielny is wide right on an optimistic drive.

47'- Oxlade-Chamberlain chips one home after a pass from Cazorla.
51'- Jerome's header saved well after a headed pass from Bolasie. So, so close. Great run by Jerome.
54'- Podolski hits the side netting after a clinical passing display from his mates.
56'- Bannan in for Jerome.
59'- Cazorla's easy strike held by Speroni.
60'- Oxlade-Chamberlain curls one wide right.
62'- Delaney heads a looping cross wide right.
68'- Delaney booked. Questionable one. Got the ball and then his legs.
69'- Bannan fires wide left.
71'- Rosicky replaces Podolski.
73'- Oxlade-Chamberlain with a great move, fires one low to Speroni's left, off his hand and in.
75'- 646 to 229 passes, in favor of Arsenal.
81'- Ozil's shot deflected and saved by Speroni.
82'- Bolasie fires over from 30 yards. Gayle is in for Chamakh.
84'- Gibbs for Ozil, Bendtner for Giroud.
85'- Mile curls one high and wide left.
86'- Mertesacker booked.
90'- Three added minutes.
90'+2- Parr blasts one over the bar.

FINAL: ARSENAL 2 - 0 PALACE

My "Man of the Match":

Mile. Another solid performance in midfield.

Big six-pointer against West Brom on Saturday.

Minute-by-Minute Review: Palace 1 - 0 Hull City

(Note: Missed the first four minutes due to a signal glitch.)

7'- Jelavic nearly pokes it home after a decent cross.
9'- Mile rises to the Puncheon free kick, but heads it wide of the post.
13'- Davies' weak header off the corner is straight to Jules. 35%-65% possession.
14'- Gabbidon hauls down long. No penalty given. Might have gotten away with one. Tough to tell. Upon replay, looks like both players' feet were entangled.
16'- Puncheon scores! Bolasie crosses from the endline, the header from Punch is blocked, then he blasts the rebound into the top right corner.
22'- Delaney gets a yellow on Long. Retaliation for an earlier clash.
24'- Low drive from Mile; far and wide.
30'- Mariappa open at the edge of the box, but fires over the bar from 20 yards.
32'- 37%-63% possession.
39'- Mile's free kick is tipped over the bar by McGregor.
41'- Puncheon fires way off target. 36%-64% possession.
42'- Bolasie with a beautiful move, crosses, but Chamakh gets in the way of Punch's header.
45'- Two added minutes.
45'+2- Huddlestone's long free kick batted awkwardly away by Speroni.

48'- Rain falling much heavier this half.
49'- Jelavic's header is defended well, and held by Speroni.
50'- Livermore gains the ball inside the box, but it flies inches over the bar.
56'- Boyd in for Meyler.
57'- Possession steady at 36% to 64%.
59'- Boyd from 25 yards gets a shot on, parried away by Jules, and the rebound hits the side netting, but offside is called.
61'- Great defensive effort after sustained Hull pressure. Rosenior misses from three yards out to the outside of the post.
62'- Jelavic misses high from the left side.
63'- Chamakh booked for a challenge on Huddlestone.
64'- McCarthy in for Bolasie. Season debut. First league game since April 2012.
68'- Chamakh on the half-turn, fires straight at the keeper after a great set-up by Punch.
72'- Jelavic stretches for a touch, but pops it up to Jules.
74'- Questionable handball off the corner, as Mile battled for a header.
76'- Quinn in for Bruce.
81'- O'Keefe replaces Gabbidon.
82'- 38% to 62% possession.
83'- Yellow for Jerome after bumping goalkeeper McGregor.
84'- Long heads over after a deep cross. Fryatt is in for Jelavic.
86'- Wilbraham in for Chamakh.
90'- Five added minutes.
90'+1- O'Keefe booked. McGregor, the keeper, is sent off for arguing and kicking O'Keefe.
90'+5- A long Hull drive slips inches wide, a glance off a foot sends it the wrong way.

FINAL: PALACE 1 - 0 HULL CITY

My "Man of the Match":

(Action Images)

 

Puncheon. Another tally to decide the game. Defense played excellent again, too. Next match against the leaders, Arsenal, at the Emirates on Sunday.

Minute-by-Minute Review: Palace 1 - 0 Stoke City

Pre-match- Pulis with a nice hand for both sets of supporters.

5'- Bolasie's cross is headed wide by Ward.
7'- Gabbidon shanks a clearance over his own crossbar.
13'- Gabbidon optimistic from 30 yards...goes over the bar.
14'- Adam's free kick is headed down by Wilson, but Jules just gets there to tip it away.
23'- Pieters screws one inside-out and wide of the far post.
32'- Possession is 45% to 55%.
39'- Adam finds Walters, but a weak header is directed right at Speroni.
40'- Adam goes well high and wide from long range.
45'- Possession holding steady at 44% to 56%. One added minute.

46'- Adam at the edge of the box, and goes just inches wide of the far post.
51'- Puncheon wins the ball in the box, makes a good move, and slots it home low and to the left. Atones for that miss last week.
55'- Second half possession: 40%-60%.
57'- Ireland in for Whelan.
60'- Walters heads it across the face and wide.
63'- Adam fires with real pace, and again misses inches wide right.
66'- Ireland with an unorthodox high volley, but it was always rising above the goal.
68'- O'Keefe in for Guedioura.
72'- Arnautovic for Assaidi.
74'- Crouch curls one wide right.
79'- Guidetti in for Walters.
80'- Nzonzi fires high and wide from 25 yards.
82'- Arnautovic yellow card for fouling Mariappa.
83'- Nzonzi booked against Bolasie.
84'- Ward has a shot tipped away inside the box, Puncheon follows with a drive that's kicked out with the legs, and O'Keefe is denied with another leg save.
86'- Moxey for Bolasie, Wilbraham for Chamakh.
89'- Wilbraham tries a long curler that goes straight at Butland.
90'- Shot hits off Crouch and straight to Speroni. Four added minutes.
90'+3- Wilbraham on a break with Parr and Puncheon, but a weak, low drive goes wide.
90'+4- Puncheon receives a great pass from Jedinak, but a sweeping save denies him a goal.

FINAL: PALACE 1 - 0 STOKE CITY

My "Man of the Match":

Puncheon. Makes up for the penalty gaffe last week with a clutch strike this week. Palace moves from the bottom of the table to 16th. A 4th Round FA Cup tie against Wigan next Saturday, followed by the next league match at home to Hull on the 28th.

Minute-by-Minute Review: Tottenham Hotspur 2 - 0 Palace

1'- Jerome free on a break, but is a step offside.
2'- Puncheon curls one inches wide of the far post from the edge of the box.
5'- Bentaleb shoots from 25 yards, Speroni spills the rebound, but pounces on it just in time.
8'- Chamakh gets knocked by Dembele in the box. Penalty to Palace. Puncheon sprays the penalty way wide to the left. Awful penalty.
11'- Chamakh heads over off Puncheon's corner.
21'- A lot of time in the Spurs' end, but Palace can't get many quality opportunities.
26'- Parr's shot from 12 yards deflected away for a corner.
28'- Jerome inside the box takes a chance, the rebound spills out to a Spurs defender.
30'- Possession: 66% to 34% for Spurs.
31'- Lennon's cross into the six is hit well, but Adebayor can't get a diving header onto the ball.
32'- Puncheon's shot from the box is deflected into the side netting.
33'- The resulting corner sees Chamakh's tip knocked into Bolasie and cleared away.
34'- Bentaleb fires one from 30 yards off the post, across the face of goal, and out for a goal kick.
45'- Two added minutes.

48'- Eriksen's shot from 12 yards is deflected away for a corner. Naughton replaces Walker for Spurs.
50'- Chiriches fires well wide. Spurs are fired up early in this second half. Eriksen then booms one home from 12 yards out past Speroni. Adebayor's header sets up the goal.
55'- Delaney clears a cross over the crossbar for a corner.
57'- Defoe in for Soldado.
58'- Jerome fires into the side netting from a tight angle.
62'- Defoe sprays one wide; Adebayor was on the end of it, too.
64'- A shot deflects to Speroni, who gets bumped into for a foul.
68'- Williams replaces Bolasie, Gayle in for Jerome.
70'- Mariappa cautioned.
73'- Defoe slots one in after Parr slips, enabling Defoe to chip it in from six yards out. Arguably offside by a fraction.
76'- Chadli in for Eriksen.
77'- Jedinak picks up a yellow.
80'- Naughton with a yellow.
81'- Ward hits a wayward shot to the right.
82'- Guedioura comes in for Puncheon.
90'- Gayle heads one wide off a cross and deflected away for a corner. Jedinak is inches wide off another corner. Four added minutes to come.
90'+2- Guedioura hits an optimistic blast, and misses just inches wide from 35 yards away.
90'+4- Chamakh heads onto the roof of the net, after being tipped by Lloris. He misses another header high off the next corner.

FINAL: TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 2 - 0 PALACE

My "Man of the Match":

Delaney. Decent defensive effort.

This EPL table is so tight now. Just six points separating 10th from 20th, which is where Palace falls to now with the defeat. Home against 12th-placed Stoke next Saturday.

Minute-by-Minute Review: Palace 1 - 1 Norwich

2'- The ball is slogging in the wet grass on any pass.
9'- Miscue by Puncheon off a nice Ward cross.
11'- Possession is 47% to 53%. Can we break 50?
12'- Jedinak curls the free kick just over the bar from 25 yards.
16'- Dikgacoi yellow card for holding on to Redmond.
17'- Bassong's header off a free kick straight at Speroni.
23'- KG hits one from the arc that swerves wide.
31'- Puncheon's pass to the far post looks for Jerome, but he can't get a good touch on it.
35'- Fer's low drive slows down in the bog and is easily held by Jules.
38'- 37% to 63% possession now.
39'- Johnson blasts one off the post and in after a decent spell of possession. Hooper passed it back, and Johnson let the curler go off the woodwork and in.
41'- Hoolahan and Chamakh both get yellows for a tussle. Cham arguably should've had a red after throwing him down by the chin.
42'- Jerome's header cleared off the line from a corner.
43'- Push in the box by Fer. Gets a yellow and a penalty to Palace.
44'- Puncheon slots the kick home to Ruddy's lower left side. Jedinak picks up a yellow.

(Getty Images)

45'- Two added minutes.

Half- Parr in for Dikgacoi.

46'- Bolasie's cross had to be tipped away by Ruddy for a corner.
50'- Hoolahan's effort kick-saved by Speroni from an acute angle.
53'- Jerome fires high after a corner was tipped down by Ruddy and passed off to Mariappa.
54'- Bennett is in for an injured Turner.
56'- Delaney's cross finds Bolasie, who sends a header straight to Ruddy.
58'- Puncheon's first drive is blocked, then the rebound is fired wide. 51% to 49% second half possession for Palace.
62'- Gayle in for Jerome.
68'- Hooper turns and fires a low drive; held by Speroni.
69'- Elmander replaces Hoolahan.
79'- Johnson's hit comes off Mariappa for a corner.
80'- Williams replaces Bolasie.
82'- Fer gets his second yellow and his sent off. Studs-up tackle on Jedinak.
85'- Martin in for Hooper.
86'- Possession stats: 45%-55% overall, 52%-48% in the second half.
90'- Four added minutes.
90'+1- Williams' cross can't find Puncheon's foot at the far post.

FINAL: PALACE 1 -1 NORWICH

My "Man of the Match":

Puncheon. Scored the penalty and set up some other decent scoring chances.

A tough result in tough conditions. Slipped down to the bottom three again. Bit of a break in league play before visiting Spurs on the 11th.