On Fulltime
Palace sit two points off the top of the table following a tempestuous and
Physical encounter with rivals Millwall ended all square at Selhurst Park. Was
this the curse of the Manager/Player of the Month double Palace had won as the
Eagles were pulled back from 2 – 0 up against bitter rivals in front of an
expectant and vibrant crowd? Goals in the form of a penalty from Liam Trotter
and a bundled second half equaliser from Mark Beevers rescued a point for a
physical Millwall.
The penalty
saw Palace defender Dean Moxey sent off for deliberate handball stopping a goal
bound shot on the line. As a result of the red card Jonathan Parr replaced Owen
Garvan to play at left back, and later in the second half, Joel Ward replaced
Darcy Blake to play at right back with Ramage partnering Delaney at centre
back. Liam Trotter converted the penalty but Palace led 2 – 1 at the break
after Millwall wasted a golden chance to equalise when a header rebounded off
the crossbar and Ramage cleared. Damien Delaney put Palace 2 – 0 up before the
penalty scoring his second goal in as many games with a header unmarked from a
free kick. This followed a crisp drive from Mile Jedinak that put the Eagles in
front rewarding early pressure.
A physical
game saw eleven bookings with Bolasie, Zaha, Delaney, the dismissed Moxey, and
goal scorer Jedinak all caught out by the card happy Phil Dowd. Yet the moment
that clearly changed the momentum of the match came on 42 minutes when Moxey
received his second yellow card and conceded a penalty as Palace failed to make
it through to the break with a two goal cushion in tacked. After Trotter scored
the penalty the second half was always going to be tough for Freedman’s men as
Millwall had the numerical advantage Palace were going to have to work hard
defensively to hold on in the second half.
Palace’s
attacking instinct so prevalent over the last few matches was gone in the
second half as Millwall took control in a dominant second half performance.
They exploited their numerical advantage and prevented Palace from winning their
sixth straight game yet Palace still remain unbeaten in eight matches. On 77
minutes Beevers prevented Palace going top with a bundled equaliser for
Millwall. A tempestuous and physical game ended 2 – 2. In the context of the season this
could prove a very useful point. Later results meant Palace cut the deficit to
two points at the top of the league with leaders Leicester to come away next
Saturday. With Palace also to play Barnsley on Tuesday today’s’ point could be
very important.
The unbeaten
run continues and although it is frustrating to give away a two goal lead at
home, especially to bitter rivals, perhaps it shows some of the defensive
frailty and naivety that lets down our excellent attacking play at times. The physical
know how and brutality of Millwall’s play ultimately isolated many of our more
creative players. Yet ultimately it comes down to the style of play you would
prefer to watch and personally give me Freedman’s honest brand of attacking
play above Kenny Jackett’s physical and aggressive style of play Millwall
adopted any day of the week. Ultimately needs must and if that is the style of
play they need to adopt in order to get a result because they cannot cope with
Palace’s better play than ultimately Jackett has no choice but to play in that
fashion.
This result
could prove a valuable lesson to Palace in order to make progress during the
remainder of the season. Learn from defensive mistakes, keep the attacking
flair and much could be possible in the remainder of the season. The season
continues at Oakwell against Barnsley on Tuesday night.
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