Southampton vs Crystal Palace report: Marouane Chamakh at the double as Alan Pardew wins fourth in a row in new job

Southampton 2 Crystal Palace 3

(Getty Images)

Last time Alan Pardew brought a team to St Mary’s he was jeered by his own fans as Newcastle United were humiliated 4-0. The visiting Crystal Palace supporters sang “Super Alan Pardew” as his new club made it four wins out of four since he took over as Palace manager on January 3.

It was a novelty for Pardew to be in charge of a visiting team that put up a fight, never mind winning, at the ground where he used to manage Southampton.

Newcastle had not scored in three losing visits, but Marouane Chamakh, “the best player on the pitch” according to Pardew, scored two yesterday in his first game back from injury since 13 December.

Palace twice came from behind to advance into the fifth round of the Cup. “It was great to see the flamboyance in our play today,” Pardew said. “I think I’ve given the players confidence and I couldn’t ask for more in their response. They have been tremendous.

“We have a habit of conceding, but I’ve been pleased with all four wins. We have to stay in the [Premier League] and the cup was not a priority, but when you get down to the last 16 it is.”

Southampton had been many people’s fancy for a Cup run, and with Chelsea and Manchester City losing this looked like a badly-missed chance. “Yes, but everyone else will say the same,” their manager Ronald Koeman said after seeing his side’s usual defensive solidity desert them. Koeman withdrew defender Florin Gardos at half-time, criticising his concentration but added: “It was the whole team.”

Marouane Chamakh (right) scored twice as Palace fought back to win (Getty Images)

By then the scoring was all over. Pelle steamed in unhindered at the far post in the ninth minute to half-volley home from James Ward-Prowse’s corner-kick on the left, his 13th goal of the season but his first in eight matches.

However, Palace were level five minutes later when the uncharacteristically jittery England goalkeeper Fraser Forster fumbled Yaya Sanogo’s angled shot from the left and, before he could recover the loose ball, Chamakh had poked it over the line.

Southampton retook the lead when Ryan Bertrand crossed low from the byline and Scott Dann, the scorer of two goals at the right end for Palace at Dover in the third-round victory on the Kent coast, slid in at the near post and deflected the ball into his own net.

Once again Palace were unfazed and equalised without delay. In the 21st minute Wilfried Zaha brought down a long high pass, stepped inside Gardos on the edge of the Southampton penalty area and found Sanogo, who beat Forster with ease from 12 yards to score his first goal since joining the south London club on loan from Arsenal.

Alan Pardew has now won all four of his matches since taking over (Getty Images)

And Chamakh decided the contest five minutes before the break when he rounded Forster to put Palace ahead for the first time after Joel Ward – a former Portsmouth right-back, to add insult to injury – had dribbled rather too easily through the left side of the Southampton defence.

Southampton: (4-2-3-1) Forster; Clyne, Gardos (Targett ht), Fonte, Bertrand; Cork (Long 59; Seager 73), Davis; Tadic, Ward-Prowse, Elia; Pelle.

Crystal Palace: (4-2-3-1) Hennessey; Ward, Dann, Delaney, Kelly; McArthur, Ledley; Zaha, Chamakh (Puncheon 65), Campbell (Murray 82); Sanogo (Mariappa 78).

Referee: Jonathan Moss.

Man of the match: Chamakh (Palace)

Match rating: 7/10