Crystal Palace vs Bournemouth match report: Benik Afobe scores again as Cherries upset Eagles
Crystal Palace 1 Bournemouth 2
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Your support makes all the difference.Crystal Palace may have long stopped being one of the potential outsiders for a European place, but Bournemouth continue to be one of the stories of the season. This comeback victory at Selhurst Park continued their fine run of form in 2016 so far, taking eight points from a possible 15.
That is in stark contrast to free-falling Palace. Although Alan Pardew spoke of the importance to the team’s confidence of beating Stoke City in the FA Cup at the weekend, they had failed to pick up a league point or seen one of their own players score a league goal in 2016. That came across in their disjointed early play.
Bournemouth might have let Palace have more possession, but the away side enjoyed the better of the chances. The jittery home side were struggling with Bournemouth’s counter-attacking and might well have been behind first. Benik Afobe was all alone eight yards out but he can’t get a decent connection on his volley after 25 minutes.
Palace hadn’t really looked like doing producing anything – especially without the injured Yohan Cabaye – until they then produced a fine move out of nothing. Two minuted after Afobe’s chance, Lee Chung-yong prevented a corner swinging out of play by back-heeling it to Wilfried Zaha, who then turned inside to cross for Scott Dann to volley home. That was the first league goal by a Palace player since Lee’s goal at Stoke on 19 December, and might have been the spark to recover their early-season verve – only for Bournemouth to equalise within eight minutes.
It was a goal that radiated all the confidence they had started the game with. Harry Arter played the ball inside to Marc Pugh, who showed great feet to turn Dann one way then the other on the edge of the box, before finding the bottom corner of the net.
Palace suddenly looked anxious again. Zaha was booked for dissent, while Pape Souaré failed to keep a half-volley down after an inviting cross.
It probably didn’t help that goalscorer Dann had been turned so humiliatingly by Pugh for the goal, as Palace’s sense of security seemed to evaporate. Bournemouth grew in assurance and, eventually, got the lead they deserved.
On 55 minutes, Matt Richie was released at the edge of the box, his shot was blocked by Wayne Hennessey but Afobe was alert to loop the ball back over the goalkeeper with a close-range header for this third in three games.
Palace were now not only losing the game, but also losing all impetus. Pardew tried to lift his side by bringing on new signing Emmanuel Adebayor for Fraizer Campbell, for his first appearance since May last year.
It was unsurprising, then, that he couldn’t really inject new energy into Palace. Other than for one soft header from a set-piece, and a leap when Marouane Chamakh forced a brilliant save from Artur Boruc, Adebayor’s efforts never really moved much beyond a trot.
Palace’s league campaign has come to a stand-still. Bournemouth keep on moving and don’t at all look like they will be going down.
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