Crystal Palace claimed successive victories in the Premier League by beating Stoke City 2-1 at the Britannia Stadium this afternoon.
Mame Biram Diouf gave Stoke the lead when he latched onto Charlie Adam's deflected free kick and finished from close range.
The visitors drew level through Glenn Murray's penalty, after Asmir Begovic was adjudged to have fouled Yannick Bolasie in the box.
On the stroke of half time, Wilfried Zaha raced onto Murray's header and kept his composure to beat the keeper with a low strike as Palace moved 11 points clear of the relegation zone.
Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the events that unfolded at the Britannia Stadium.
Match Statistics:
STOKE:
Shots 17
On Target 4
Possession 57%
Corners 8
Fouls 15
CRYSTAL PALACE:
Shots 12
On Target 3
Possession 43%
Corners 4
Fouls 14
Was the result fair?
This is a tricky game to analyse, as for the majority of the first half Stoke were on top and playing some great football. There seemed to be no threat from the visitors until they were awarded a debatable penalty and they struck again minutes later to go into the break leading. Palace were much better in the second half and had chances to score a third goal, and they must deserve some credit for a gritty defensive display that kept out a late barrage from the Potters.
Stoke's performance
Mark Hughes will have been delighted with how his team played in the opening 40 minutes of the game. Diouf gave them the lead with a well-taken effort and they looked much better on the ball after last weekend's defeat at West Bromwich Albion. However, the crucial turning point of the match came when Begovic collided with Bolasie inside the box and Murray slotted home the penalty. It was a debatable decision, as Bolasie should have been penalised by the referee for leading with a high foot. They were punished again just four minutes later through Zaha's strike and, despite creating plenty of chances after the break, they were unable to salvage a point.
Crystal Palace's performance
Palace must have gone into their dressing room at half time in disbelief at how they were in front. They had created very little, but two goals in the space of five minutes turned the game around in their favour. They improved in the second half and Bolasie was a constant menace down the left wing. They also had some great chances to score a third goal, but Scott Dann hit the post and Jason Puncheon blazed over from a good position. It ended up being a nervous finish, with some desperate defending and some great goalkeeping helping them to earn a very impressive fourth win from their last five away games.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Julian Speroni: The Palace keeper was excellent today and made a number of vital saves to help preserve his side's lead. At the start of the second half, he kept out Diouf's close-range strike and he soon made an even better stop to deny Stephen Ireland. He did drop a couple of crosses in the first half, but his handling late on was perfect and he was a dominant presence from set pieces.
Biggest gaffe
It is hard to blame Begovic for giving away the penalty as, although he came rushing off his line to beat Bolasie to the ball, the Palace winger went in with a high challenge that should have been penalised. Ryan Shawcross probably should receive some criticism as he allowed Bolasie to run in behind him in the first place.
Referee's performance
Andre Marriner had a couple of big decisions to make today and he got them both wrong. His call to award Palace a penalty was not the right decision and he should have given Stoke a spot kick of their own when Diouf's shot hit Joel Ward on the arm, but he waved away the home side's appeals.
What next?
Stoke: Following the international break, Stoke will visit Premier League leaders Chelsea on April 4.
Crystal Palace: The Eagles will return to action with a home game against Manchester City on April 6.
Alex Meyers
