Crystal Palace boss Alan Pardew has warned his side that they are still in a major battle to remain in the Premier League because of a spate of new managers at the foot of the table.
Pardew joined the Eagles from Newcastle United at the start of last month, replacing Neil Warnock, and has handed the team a boost to lift them out of the bottom three.
However, fellow strugglers West Bromwich Albion, Queens Park Rangers and Aston Villa have also switched managers recently, leading Pardew to be cautious of the impact that they could have on the relegation battle.
Pardew told reporters: "The league is going to be tough, everybody is revving up, Villa have a new manager, so do QPR, we do here, West Brom too.
"It's going to energise that area, and we need to be focused on that. But it was an opportunity today and I'm disappointed how we played in possession. It was one of our worst performances under me.
"We're better than that on the ball and we need to prove that against Arsenal next weekend."
Palace crashed out in the fifth round of the FA Cup at the hands of Liverpool on Saturday.
Simon Sinclair
