Crystal Palace have climbed out of the Premier League relegation zone following a 1-0 win over Middlesbrough at Selhurst Park.
January signing Patrick van Aanholt struck what turned out to be the winner in the 34th minute as Sam Allardyce enjoyed just his second victory as Eagles manager.
Palace, who were in danger of losing their sixth consecutive home game on Saturday had the better of the first half and deservedly took the lead through the Dutchman's low drive from the edge of the box.
Aitor Karanka's charges were largely toothless in the opening 45 minutes but improved after the restart as Cristhian Stuani fired straight at Wayne Hennessey from inside the area on the hour mark, while Fabio sent a shot over the crossbar late on.
Referee Robert Madley was also in the spotlight for turning down several penalty shouts from both teams during the game, including an incident in which Stuani fired the ball into James Tomkins's arm.
James McCarthy was also brought down by Stewart Downing in the Boro box, but the Palace man was judged to have dived and a yellow card was shown.
These incidents ultimately had little bearing on the game as the hosts saw the 90 minutes out with ease and gave themselves a boost in their battle against the drop.
The result sees Palace climb to 17th place in the table on 22 points, the same as 16th-placed Boro, with Leicester City nudged into 18th on 21 points.
Giuseppe Labellarte
