The alarm bells around Crystal Palace can quieten down for now. This was billed as a clash between relegation rivals but the visitors produced a controlled, commanding victory over opponents who barely landed a glancing blow. Perhaps the pressure on Oliver Glasner will ease a little now they have lost one in six and appear, on the basis of recent weeks, to have found a formula that collects points away from home.
It helps when your best player is fit and, from the morass of a low-quality game, rising well above the rest. Eberechi Eze returned from a month’s absence on Saturday and was deemed ready for another outing here. He kept Palace ticking, building cutely on the platform their superior physicality earned, and provided the assist for a winning goal that may prove a critical moment in both teams’ seasons.
