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| Yohan Cabaye was the match-winner for Crystal Palace |
DON'T tell Alan Pardew and his Crystal Place players that there is no place like home. They much prefer life on the road.
Since Pardew took over at Selhurst Park last January, Palace have won 11 of 14 away games in all competitions. It is a remarkable record, and one that this morning sees them sitting happily in sixth place in the Premier League.
And it not difficult to see why. Palace are a team built to counter attack. In Yannick Bolasie and Bakary Sako they have players with lightning speed on the flanks, and in Jason Puncheon a quick, clever presence running things in the centre.
And with another flier in Wilfried Zaha to come off the bench, Palace also have depth. It was Zaha who won this tightly contested game, when eight minutes after coming on for Sako he forced Watford right-back Allan Nyom into a rash challenge.
Yohan Cabaye tucked away the penalty for the only goal of the game - but Pardew's team could and should have scored more.
This was exactly how Palace beat the Hornets in the 2013 Football League play-off final at Wembley - Zaha winning a penalty late in the game.
On that occasion Kevin Phillips converted the spot-kick. It was a memory the massed ranks of Palace fans were not slow to ram home to the home supporters yesterday afternoon as the clock ticked down at Vicarage Road. Watford tried, and they had their moments, but in Brede Hangeland and Scott Dann Palace also had two solid centre-backs.
Palace started on the front foot, as Watford keeper Heurelho Gomes was forced to make a superb reflex save from Brede Hangeland's close-range header before Puncheon shot just wide.
As Troy Deeney nodded past the post, Quique Flores' team began to get a foothold, but they were always vulnerable to Palace's pace on the break.
The moment that could have changed the shape of the game came just after half-time, when Palace gave a free-kick away just outside the area. Jose Manuel Jurado bent the ball over the wall but it bounced back off the bar and Deeney nodded the rebound over.
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| Watford couldn't get their third successive Premier League win |
Then Almen Abdi saw his low shot well saved by Palace keeper Wayne Hennessey.
Watford were harshly punished. Gomes was first forced to turn Sako's deflected free-kick round the post, but the warning bells were ringing as Sako put Dwight Gayle right through, only for the striker to hit the bar.
On went Zaha for the tiring Sako - and Nyom finally cracked against the constant onslaught of pace.
Palace, having won their advantage are these days past masters at organising themselves and hanging on to what they have. Hangeland and Dann both made superb tackles to deny the normally elusive Odion Ighalo - and Watford simply ran out of steam.
Pardew was pleased with Zaha's impact when he came on and said: “Wilf has reacted in the best possible way. This is a lesson learned for him – you can’t let your standards slip. Competition for places is fierce now.
“We have got good players for an away team. We have good pace. We didn’t concede any ground to Watford – and there was some really good wide play, which won us the game.”
Flores was dissapointed with the result but had no issues with the penlaty: “We didn’t lose because we gave away a penalty. We lost because we didn’t play well enough.”
Watford (4-4-1-1): Gomes 7; Nyom 6 (Ake 75, 6), Prodl 7, Cathcart 6, Anya 6; Abdi 6 (Berghuis 64, 6), Watson 7(Ibarbo 82), Capoue 6, Jurado 6; Deeney 6; Ighalo 6. Booked: Abdi, Jurado, Ighalo, Cathcart. Next Up: Bournemouth (a) Oct 3 PL
Palace (4-2-3-1): Hennessey 7; Kelly 7, Hangeland 7, Dann 7, Soares 7; Cabaye 7 (McArthur 77 6), Ledley 7; Sako7 (Zaha 62 7), Puncheon 8, Bolasie 7; Gayle 7 (Campbell 84 6). Booked: Cabaye, Puncheon, Soares, Hennessey. Goals: Cabaye pen 70. Next Up: West Brom (h) Oct 3 PL.
Referee: A Taylor (Cheshire).
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