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Patrick van Aanholt (left)scores the only goal of the game to earn Crystal Palace a vital victory.
Patrick van Aanholt (left) scores the only goal of the game to earn Crystal Palace a vital victory. Photograph: PPAUK/REX/Shutterstock
Patrick van Aanholt (left) scores the only goal of the game to earn Crystal Palace a vital victory. Photograph: PPAUK/REX/Shutterstock

Crystal Palace out of drop zone after Patrick van Aanholt goal sinks Boro

This article is more than 7 years old

Crystal Palace disrespected the point in the only way acceptable to Sam Allardyce. Not through style or class, but through persistence and perspiration. Little annoys Allardyce more than seeing his team lose a game that they could have drawn by throwing needless caution to the wind, and this was a contest that might have been a goalless grind on another day, but Palace were clinical and professional against opponents whose timidity risks bringing about their downfall.

Resilient after Patrick van Aanholt’s goal, Palace earned their second league win under Allardyce and their third at home this season. The prospect of relegation still hangs over them, despite their position a point above the bottom three, but here was compelling evidence of their manager’s skills as a survival expert and, instead, it was Middlesbrough, stodgy and limited, who looked the likelier team to be playing in the Championship next year.

Middlesbrough’s allergy to goals continues to undermine their defensive organisation. Level with Palace now, Aitor Karanka’s team have not won in the league since 17 December. Even worse, they have scored three times since Christmas. Their dearth of attacking ambition is alarming.

Palace had done nothing but absorb pure, undiluted, industrial-strength Allardyce since losing to Stoke City a fortnight ago. They had downed pints of Allardyce and dumped four lumps of the stuff in milky cups of tea. For breakfast, the full Allardyce. For lunch, the Big Sam. For dinner, the jumbo Allardyce. The man himself captured the mood in his programme notes: “I would hope to see an uplift in our performance to get a result, but not necessarily a win. We need to respect the point – as I keep reiterating to the players.”

Such a pragmatic outlook hardly promised a thrilling spectacle, especially with Middlesbrough in town. But while the Allardiet might sound unappealing, Palace have to embrace it. There could be no repeat of their previous home fixture, that shocking 4-0 defeat to Sunderland.

Sam Allardyce cuts an animated figure on the touchline at Selhurst Park. Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters

Selhurst Park boiled with rage on that grim afternoon, with one supporter even confronting Damien Delaney, a Palace stalwart. Here, however, the home fans gave their team tremendous backing and Palace fed off the wonderful atmosphere in the first half, dominating possession and creating an early chance when Christian Benteke headed straight at Victor Valdés from Van Aanholt’s cross.

They retreated to the dressing room at half-time with rare applause and cheers ringing in their ears, for they were ahead thanks to a moment of opportunism from Van Aanholt. Palace had lacked conviction in the final third, but the Dutchman lifted the tension with a messy goal in the 34th minute.

The left-back loves to venture forward and he brought an attack to life by finding Yohan Cabaye, who shot from 18 yards out. Bernardo Espinosa deflected the ball into the air and Dani Ayala’s header fell to Van Aanholt, who controlled before taking a swing with his right foot. Valdés could not react in time as the shot bounced through a mass of bodies and inside his left post, earning Van Aanholt his first Palace goal since his arrival from Sunderland last month.

“The performance, particularly in the first half, warranted our victory,” Allardyce said. “It was a very important win and a very important clean sheet. We didn’t give them many opportunities to equalise.”

Palace had chances to extend their lead. Jason Puncheon tested Valdés with a fizzing drive as Middlesbrough continued to toil. They are the division’s lowest scorers for a reason and offered little in attack. Mamadou Sakho enjoyed a comfortable debut for Palace in defence.

Karanka replaced the ineffective Álvara Negredo with the height of Rudy Gestede up front at half-time. Yet the service from Boro’s creative players was appalling and Cristhian Stuani spurned their best chance of an equaliser.

Middlesbrough were uncertain in their 3-4-3 system. Karanka said that his hand was forced by George Friend’s late injury, but a tactical alteration could not excuse their performance.

Even when Palace grew edgy, Boro huffed and puffed and Karanka allowed Adama Traoré little time to influence the game with his fearless dribbling. The crowd howled at the start of five minutes of stoppage time, but Palace were never under siege.

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