Phew... that was a whirlwind of a half. Chelsea aside, Palace look to be the strongest opponent we've faced so far in the EPL. Their high-energy game has unnerved our makeshift backline and there is plenty of quality as well as athleticism there. They look to be well organized defensively as well.
This is the kind of game on the back of an emotional CL tie where we really need the crowd and where you hope to score something from a set piece – and fortunately one of our training-ground routines paid off. Huge goal for Mane who has looked back to his sharpest again. Other players, in brief:
Konate – extremely nervous first 20-25 minutes, then started settling into it a bit after holding off Benteke 1 on 1. Passing very cautiously, which is understandable.
Tsimikas – excellent going forward; could have given away a penalty
Thiago – majestic passing, but justifying his "Spanish Lucas" moniker with those silly fouls –absolute no-no against a team like Palace.
Hendo – class
Jota – frankly awful, probably the worst half of football I've seen him play. If he doesn't improve, I would literally prefer Ox instead of him up front.
This is the kind of game on the back of an emotional CL tie where we really need the crowd and where you hope to score something from a set piece – and fortunately one of our training-ground routines paid off. Huge goal for Mane who has looked back to his sharpest again. Other players, in brief:
Konate – extremely nervous first 20-25 minutes, then started settling into it a bit after holding off Benteke 1 on 1. Passing very cautiously, which is understandable.
Tsimikas – excellent going forward; could have given away a penalty
Thiago – majestic passing, but justifying his "Spanish Lucas" moniker with those silly fouls –absolute no-no against a team like Palace.
Hendo – class
Jota – frankly awful, probably the worst half of football I've seen him play. If he doesn't improve, I would literally prefer Ox instead of him up front.
