1-0 up. At home. Against 10 men. And then lose 2-1? To a penalty in the sixth minute of stoppage time?
Alan Pardew: showing the strain
The pain and frustration caused by such an outcome was evident in Palace manager Alan Pardew’s post-match interview with Sky Sports after yesterday’s defeat at Selhurst Park against Liverpool.
The edginess of his side after conceding the equaliser following a shocker of a goalkeeping blunder, Pardew admitted, had allowed Liverpool back into the game.
Or: “We bottled it,” as one Palace blogger summed it up today.
It was the late-late penalty, a linesman’s call, which rubbed the salt into Palace’s wounds. “If it had been us, we wouldn’t have been given it,” Pardew said, sounding touchier than he has been throughout his spell in charge of the Eagles.
His side’s woeful run of form – 13 league games without a win – is clearly causing Pardew concern now, since he almost admits in this interview in his comment about his disappointment with his substitutions.
Palace’s league defeats are more worrying because of the losses to sides who struggle to get wins elsewhere – Watford, Bournemouth, Villa. Yes, even Villa.
The trip to Reading on Friday, and the chance of an FA Cup semi-final, will be a welcome diversion for Pardew and his team. But Palace yet have an opportunity to influence the outcome of the Premier League: their next home match will be against high-flying Leicester.
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