- Crystal Palace came back from behind to defeat Sheffield United 3-2 and earn back-to-back home victories in the Premier League.
- Palace won thanks to a brilliant attacking performance from Eberechi Eze and the returning Michael Olise.
Crystal Palace came back from behind to defeat Sheffield United 3-2 and earn back-to-back home victories in the Premier League for the first time this season thanks to a brilliant attacking performance from Eberechi Eze and the returning Michael Olise.
After a 20-second opening goal from Ben Brereton Diaz stunned the hosts, the Eagles’ two shining jewels, Olise and Eze, drove the Blades to the sword by setting up Eze twice before Olise scored a spectacular goal of his own.
After an outstanding first half featuring goals from Eze and James McAtee, the visitors had taken a brief lead back, but Roy Hodgson’s team would go on to win their second straight Premier League home game, bolstering their chances of surviving and making Sheffield United’s relegation fears worse.
In an offensive reorganization for the home team, Jordan Ayew and Olise, who had been out due to injury and the Africa Cup of Nations, respectively, were added to the starting lineup. Both players would try to beat Ivo Grbic, who was making his Premier League debut for Chris Wilder’s team.
With only 20 seconds played, Gustavo Hamer’s accurate cross-field pass to Brereton Diaz on the left gave the Chilean attacker the freedom to drift centrally and curl a beautiful shot into the bottom corner, destroying any pre-match Palace optimism following the returns of Olise and Ayew.
Sheffield United scored after just 20 seconds. Photo/ Sky Sports
However, the stunned Eagles bounced back quickly, and in the 17th minute, Eze ducked under the Blades’ center backs to hook Olise’s inswinging cross into the net with an impressive boot flip. Sheffield United’s lead was erased.
But just three minutes after Eze’s equalizer, as happened 20 seconds after kickoff, Oli McBurnie showed incredible strength to hold the ball up and release McAtee, whose shot from the right side of the box looped over a caught-up Dean Henderson to give Sheffield United the lead once more.
Though the visitors didn’t seem to mind, Marc Guehi’s boot assisted McAtee’s goal as it went into the goal’s roof. However, Crystal Palace responded quickly once again, with the Olise-Eze combo once again producing magic.
Instead of attempting a risky pass into the box, Olise handed the ball off to Eze on the outside of the area. The Englishman used a deft dummy to move the ball onto his left foot, and he then curled the ball into the top corner from 20 yards out.
After setting up Eze twice, Olise almost benefited from his teammate’s creative playmaking in the 31st minute with a free kick, and Hodgson’s team was only kept from taking the lead for the first time in the game by a goal-line clearance from Vinicius Souza.
Michael Olise. Photo/ Irish Mirror
With a few half-time changes, Wilder went back to a more cautious lineup. However, in the 51st minute, Grbic’s Premier League debut was cut short due to a head injury, forcing the Blades manager to make an unwelcome substitution.
After just fifteen minutes on the field, the 33-year-old managed to pick the ball out of his own net when Jean-Philippe Mateta’s attempted cross bounced back out to Olise on the edge of the D. With his first touch, the Frenchman fired a stunning strike that struck the post and gave Palace their first-ever lead.
The home supporters may have been a little nervous when Olise and Eze ran Sheffield United ragged for more than an hour, as both players were substituted off as a precaution owing to bruises. This was made worse when Anel Ahmedhodzic headed against the crossbar in the 84th minute.
The home club triumphed in the first-ever Premier League meeting between Palace and Sheffield United in which both sides had scored, despite the bottom team having at least 11 minutes of extra time to try to salvage a draw.
With their victory, the Eagles momentarily move up to 14th position in the standings, six points clear of the relegation zone, as Sheffield United is still stuck in 20th place, nine points below safety.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login