 |
| Lee Chung-Yong scored a smashing winner as Palace beat Stoke at the Britannia |
A STUNNING late goal from South Korean Lee Chung-Yong took Alan Pardew's Crystal Palace to within goal difference of a Champions League slot.
"It was an amazing goal,'' said Pardew. ''It was a really great technical goal - it brought the house down our end and on our bench.''
Until Lee stepped up as the match-winner - eight minutes after coming on as a sub - all the talk was going to be about the referee Bobby Madley.
His eighth and ninth penalty awards of the season - one to each side - turned what seemed a stalemate into a thriller.
He handed Palace their fourth penalty of the season in first half stoppage time when Glenn Whelan caught Wilfried Zaha's standing foot.
Not even the Stoke players had mounted any sort of protest before Connor Wickham scored from the spot for his first goal for Palace.
Mr Madley's reaction was almost as immediate when a dropping ball bounced off Damien Delaney's left arm in a goalmouth scramble as Mark Hughes' side chased the equaliser after the break. Bojan Krkic stepped up to fire in the leveller.
It looked to be heading for a draw until Lee, on as an 81st-minute substitute, scored his first Premier League goal.
In the sort of form he's in you don't beat Stoke keeper Jack Butland with anything that isn't out of the top drawer - and it was.
Lee hit an absolute screamer from outside the box into the opposite corner of the goal to seal the win.
Stoke boss Hughes said: "We have played worse than that and won. We had a setback with the penalty.
"That winning goal was eye-catching and something he probably won't do again - and probably hasn't done before! But that's what happens in sport.''
Post a Comment Blogger Facebook Disqus