Victory for either Southampton or Crystal Palace last night would have seen the gap from the relegation zone open-up to a valuable SIX points. Palace, despite their recent FA Cup win over Tottenham, had not won a Premier League game since the start of the year. Roy Hodgson was nevertheless keen to capitalise on the momentum gained after the win at Selhurst Park on Sunday.
Wilfried Zaha had not scored since September, however he showed no signs he was lacking in confidence as he fired the Eagles ahead late in the first half. This gave the away team some breathing space as they entered the break.
Back in September last year, Southampton came away from Selhurst Park with all three points and were determined to do the same once again. Enter James Ward-Prowse who equalised late, scoring his third goal in as many games.
Football matches often like to serve up some drama, and this game didn’t disappoint. After a first yellow card for a bad tackle on goal scorer Ward-Prowse, Zaha claimed a second booking immediately afterwards for sarcastically applauding referee Andre Mariner.
Palace fought on with 10 men and Mamadou Sakho missed a wonderful opportunity to snatch victory but his header was cleared off the line. Southampton hung on as the referee blew the final whistle.
Both sides moved up one place in the table and remain tied on 23 points each. The next two games at home against Fulham and West Ham may prove vital for Palace if they are to maintain their Premier League status.