Crystal Palace 1 Southampton 0
Crystal Palace climbed to sixth place in the Premier League with a comfortable 1-0 defeat of Southampton.
In the latest demonstration that European football is not beyond them, they outplayed their similarly-ambitious rivals and secured victory with a goal from Yohan Cabaye, their €13.8million record signing.
With Wilfried Zaha again available following suspension and Mile Jedinak, his replacement on Monday at Everton, injured, Palace manager Alan Pardew recalled the forward to his starting XI and encouraged his team to attack.
It took 20 minutes before they threatened, however, but as soon as they did the pressure on Southampton was intense. Yannick Bolasie’s inswinging cross-come-shot forced a corner when Gazzaniga tipped the ball over the crossbar, and from it Cabaye tested the goalkeeper with a powerful near-post shot that earned a second corner.
On this occasion the Frenchman crossed to Connor Wickham, whose header was saved by Gazzaniga before being scrambled clear, and with their next attack almost immediately after Cabaye played Zaha into space in the area, from where the forward disappointingly struck just over.
Southampton’s first notable attack soon followed. On the counter, Sadio Mane’s lofted pass gave Long time and space and the Irishman, beating goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey, went even closer than Cabaye had when he cut in from the left and curled a right-footed shot just inches high and wide.
Hennessey then impressed with a reaction save from Steven Davis’ close-range header after the visitors’ next attempt on goal, before Palace responded by scoring in the 38th minute.
On the right wing by Southampton’s penalty area, the again-impressive Bolasie defeated Southampton’s defence and Gazzaniga with a low cut-back to Cabaye that gifted the Frenchman a close-range tap-in into a near-open goal.
It was the lead the home side deserved — created by players of the quality not seen at Selhurst Park until recent seasons — and in a sign of their confidence they sought a second after half-time.
Pardew would only have been more satisfied had Wickham’s powerful, close-range shot not been saved by Gazzaniga when just three minutes remained, though he will reflect his team also owe Hennessey for producing a crucial save from Long when the forward was through on goal deep into stoppage time.
West Ham 0 Stoke City 0
Injury-hit West Ham could not find a way past stubborn Stoke in a goalless draw at Upton Park.
The Hammers dominated for long periods but sorely missed the attacking talents of Dimitri Payet, Diafra Sakho, Manuel Lanzini and Victor Moses in front of goal.
Boss Slaven Bilic, who has ordered the club to move training grounds in a bid to halt their injury jinx, almost saw his patched-up side pick up a first win in six matches, but Mauro Zarate’s shot cannoned back off the post.
A draw was probably a fair result, though, as Stoke were also denied by the woodwork when Marko Arnautovic hit the crossbar midway through the second half.
It was Stoke who created the best two chances of an even first half and Marco van Ginkel, in for the injured Xherdan Shaqiri, should have given them the lead, only to miss a sitter.
Ibrahim Afellay’s cut-back found the Dutch midfielder in front of goal, eight yards out, but he snatched at the shot and scuffed it wide.
The hosts felt they should have had a penalty just before half-time when Ryan Shawcross gave the ball away to Mark Noble and then pulled the West Ham skipper back in the area, but referee Andre Marriner was not interested.
Ten minutes from the end Zarate waltzed across the Stoke penalty area before pinging an angled shot which finally beat Butland, only to crash off the outside of the post.
And in stoppage time a frantic goalmouth scramble saw Kouyate’s header cleared from underneath the bar by Johnson to ensure it finished goalless.
Sunderland 0 Watford 1
Odion Ighalo’s 10th goal of the season handed promoted Watford a third successive Barclays Premier League victory and plunged Sunderland deeper into relegation trouble.
The Nigerian’s fourth-minute strike proved enough to clinch all the points in a 1-0 win at a wintry Stadium of Light as the visitors launched an early blitz and then defended their lead with little difficulty to claim their seventh top-flight win of the campaign.
The visitors took the lead when full-back Allan Nyom combined with Abdi down the right for the latter to slide the ball in to Ighalo, whose sliding effort might have clipped defender Sebastian Coates as it rolled past the stranded Pantilimon.
Had Billy Jones not been in the right place at the right time five minutes later, Abdi might have made it 2-0 from Nathan Ake’s cross, and his side was desperately fortunate to escape further mishap with 11 minutes on the clock.
Ighalo brilliantly tricked his way past John O’Shea, making his 400th Barclays Premier League appearance, only to see Pantilimon block his initial effort and Coates his follow-up before Abdi’s strike was repelled and Jose Manuel Jurado rattled the post from the rebound.
Fabio Borini could have levelled after running on to Yann M’Vila’s 17th-minute pass, but shot inches wide of the far post.
Allardyce simply had to act and he did so with 19 minutes gone, replacing wing-back DeAndre Yedlin with midfielder Jack Rodwell and switching from 3-5-2 to 4-2-3-1.
The change eventually paid dividends as the Black Cats gradually forced their way into the game, although not before Pantilimon had to palm away Etienne Capoue’s 26th-minute effort.
The home side started the second half in much better fashion than they had the first with defender Craig Cathcart throwing himself into the path of Steven Fletcher’s shot and Gomes parrying another from Rodwell in quick succession.
Duncan Watmore sent a rasping drive just wide with 13 minutes remaining, but Defoe saw an 82nd-minute snap-shot brilliantly saved by Gomes and then failed to make meaningful contact with Patrick van Aanholt’s cross in front of goal two minutes later with Ighalo having passed up three glorious opportunities.
