.png)
6 hours ago
8
“Opportunities missed. Board inept. Fans disrespected. Glasner finished,” read the banner unfurled by the Crystal Palace supporters behind Dean Henderson’s goal after barely 30 seconds of their meeting with bottom side Wolves. If it was meant to inspire a first league victory here since 1 November then it somehow had the desired effect.
Having huffed and puffed against a side playing with 10 men for half an hour after Ladislav Krejci was shown a second yellow card for stupidly kicking the ball away, it looked like being another miserable afternoon for Oliver Glasner. But when Evann Guessand’s winner went in during the final minute of normal time, there was an explosion of joy as some of the frustrations of the previous few weeks suddenly melted away.
While it remains doubtful whether Glasner can remain in his post much longer given the friction that still exists in south London, at least a second win in their last 16 in all competitions will ease their relegation fears. For Rob Edwards, there was plenty to be proud of despite his side failing to secure the point they needed to match Derby’s 2008 record low tally after Tolu Arokodare’s penalty was saved in the first half. That unwanted record will surely be avoided given the improvements they have made since Edwards’s appointment.
As well as questioning his own capabilities this week, Glasner accused some of his players of “looking at where they will play next year rather than where they are playing right now” and told supporters to “stay humble” – a statement that didn’t go down well in this part of south London. He was all smiles before kick-off and received a polite reception from supporters in the main stand. But the message from influential fan group the Holmesdale Fanatics – who were responsible for the derogatory banner aimed towards the Nottingham Forest owner, Evangelos Marinakis, that saw Palace fined £50,000 by the FA this week – showed the depth of animosity towards the manager who won the club’s first major trophy less than 300 days ago.
Wolves arrived in a confident mood after their stirring comeback in midweek against Arsenal and after finally recording a first away victory of the campaign in the FA Cup against Grimsby. But Yerson Mosquera almost handed Palace an early lead when he badly misjudged a header back to José Sá, although Yeremy Pino’s attempted lob let him off the hook as it sailed well over.
Jørgen Strand Larsen was targeted by taunts from the away section almost immediately after his £48m move in the transfer window. His replacement up front for Wolves, Arokodare, caused a Palace defence shorn of the injured Maxence Lacroix several problems with his physical approach, even if the visitors couldn’t take any of the chances that fell their way.
Mosquera should have done better at the far post after Arokodare won the initial header from a corner. Later he headed over from another set-piece after Henderson had saved a free-kick from Jean-Ricner Bellegarde. At the other end, Pino scuffed his shot on to the post after a clever short corner routine with Will Hughes.
Hughes could easily have been shown a second yellow for late challenge on Mosquera after picking up an early booking. Yet referee Tom Kirk had no option but to award Wolves a penalty when Adam Wharton chopped down Mateus Mané five minutes before the break, although the England midfielder also escaped a red card. To the relief of Palace’s supporters and Glasner, Henderson was easily able to gather Arokodare’s weak penalty into his arms.
Hughes was withdrawn for Daichi Kamada at the start of the second half, presumably for his own good. Palace continued to look shaky at the back and a mix-up between Henderson and Chris Richards almost allowed Adam Armstrong to chip the ball into an empty net.
But one of the reasons that Wolves find themselves in this predicament has been a tendency to shoot themselves in the foot and Krejci provided a perfect example of that when he decided to kick the ball away to earn himself a second yellow card.
It was the prompt for Glasner to abandon his favoured three at the back and go for broke. Palace continued to lack ideas until Guessand latched on to Tyrick Mitchell’s cross to seal a priceless victory for their manager.
