Second-half goals from Yannick Bolasie and Yohan Cabaye helped Crystal Palace to a hard-earned 2-0 win over West Bromwich Albion at Selhurst Park.
Bolasie nodded home a superb cross from his French teammate on 68 minutes to end the Baggies' stubborn resistance - their first goal conceded away from home all season.
The excellent Wilfried Zaha then won a penalty late on and Cabaye kept his nerve to float home the spot kick and seal three hard-fought points for Palace.
Here, Sports Mole reviews how the clash was won in London.
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Match statistics
CRYSTAL PALACE
Shots: 21
On target: 8
Possession: 60%
Corners: 8
Fouls: 14
WEST BROM
Shots: 7
On target: 2
Possession: 40%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 13
Was the result fair?
Only one team wanted to win this afternoon and the stats prove that it was not West Brom. The Baggies started with a point and they looked determined to finish with one as they absorbed a glut of pressure in the first half, and for much of the second period before Bolasie rendered their hard work pointless in both senses of the word. Even after falling behind, Albion - minus star striker Saido Berahino, who was withdrawn at the break for tactical reasons - never looked like getting back into the contest and the result, and the scoreline, cannot be debated.
Crystal Palace's performance
Alan Pardew was tipped as Roy Hodgson's successor as England boss by Tony Pulis during the week, but swapping life at Selhurst Park for anything else looks unlikely as his Palace project continues to thrive. Third in the Premier League table, with 15 points from 24, it was no wonder that Pardew heard his name being chanted by thousands of home fans at full time. They love him, and his team looked worth loving during the first half - despite not scoring.
Despite a wealth of possession, it took 38 minutes for Palace to fashion a clear goalscoring chance. The exceptional Zaha was reminding the Premier League why Sir Alex Ferguson signed him once upon a time as he gave Chris Brunt a torrid time throughout. The opener could have come seven minutes before the break when Zaha forced Boaz Myhill into a smart near-post save, after taking Brunt to the cleaners once more, before the West Brom stopper denied him a wonderful solo effort minutes later.
Pardew paid a glowing tribute to striker Dwight Gayle during the week, perhaps in an effort to build up the striker's confidence following an indifferent performance in the 1-0 win at Watford last time out. Gayle represents Pardew's only one of two fit centre-forwards, along with Fraizer Campbell, but the 24-year-old gave his manager little food for thought for when his striking rivals return after another low-key outing.
They struggled to retain their first-half momentum throughout the break, initially, but they slowly and surely grew on top once more and a goal seemed imminent - and it was. Cabaye, who had delivered a number of terrible free kicks and corners, finally got it right when he floated a delicious cross for Bolasie to head home with 22 minutes left - his first goal at Selhurst Park for three years. They seldom looked threatened at the other end, and the French midfielder added a second from the penalty spot after Zaha was fouled by Brunt. Pardew's name began to echo around the stadium and his dream of finishing in the top half this season looks very achievable.
West Brom's performance
There was a clear lack of adventure from West Brom throughout a first half in which they defended - and defended well at that. Strike partners Berahino and Salomon Rondon were forced to feed off scraps and as a result both looked malnourished, starved of service as they endured a relatively anonymous opening 45 minutes. It was their defence that found themselves in the thick of the action during a backs-to-the-wall first half.
By virtue of the fact that Pulis's side were the only team in the first four tiers of English football, and any of Europe's premier leagues, to concede an away goal this term, their defensive approach was perhaps justified. Even when centre-back Jonny Evans was forced off after 24 minutes with a suspected hamstring injury, they were solid through the middle, with substitute James Chester partnering Gareth McAuley. Their problems came out wide, though, with right-back Craig Dawson enduring a shaky opening quarter against Bolasie, while make-shift left-back Brunt was a lamb to the slaughter against Zaha.
The question lingering over the second half was whether or not Pulis would do anything to thwart Zaha. He withdrew Berahino for Craig Gardner, who offered Brunt a little more support on the left-hand side. It worked. The Palace winger saw much less of the ball, but the hosts still found a way through.
Pulis deserves a slice of criticism for slight myopia in withdrawing Berahino so early in the contest. It was as if he was too focused on combating Zaha that he forgot to consider a Plan B in the likely event his side fell behind. But his go-to guy watched on from the dugout as his teammates tried and failed to chase a game that Cabaye put beyond them late on. It was a bitterly disappointing afternoon for the visitors.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Wilfried Zaha: Overall, few could argue that Zaha was not the best player on the pitch. He was simply exceptional in the first half and though he did become less influential after the break, he was still lively and did brilliantly to win the penalty which led to the second goal. Bolasie and Cabaye will get the headlines, but neither was better than the ex-Manchester United man.
Biggest gaffe
As good as Zaha's afternoon was, it could have been better. The 22-year-old should have had a goal to show for his first-half dominance against Brunt, only to pull agonisingly wide of Myhill's near post from an excellent position. It was a game in which individual errors were at a premium, but that miss stands out among the rest.
Referee performance
Referee Jon Moss had a relatively quiet game, but he could, and should, have awarded the hosts a penalty on 62 minutes when Gardner handled Cabaye's free kick inside the box. The Frenchman was the only Palace player appealing. He did, however, atone for that error by rightly pointing to the spot late on.
What next?
Crystal Palace: The Eagles are back at Selhurst Park in two weeks' time for the visit of West Ham United.
West Brom: Also returning in a fortnight, Pulis and co host Sunderland at The Hawthorns.
Shane Callaghan
