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Crystal Palace supporters have been in high spirits in recent times after seeing their side get back to winning ways in the Premier League on Saturday.

Roy Hodgson’s men went into their encounter with struggling Fulham at Selhurst Park having drawn one and lost two of their last three league games, a run which saw them fall towards the division’s bottom three. But the Eagles now sit 14th in the table after a routine 2-0 success over Claudio Ranieri’s Cottagers, with goals from Luka Milivojevic and Jeffrey Schlupp inspiring the hosts to a seventh Premier League win of the season, which in turn moved them four points clear of the relegation zone.

As such, there have been many delighted Palace fans up and down the country in recent times, with supporters likely lauding a fine team effort from their side on Saturday to finally get back to winning ways in the league for the first time since January 2.

And while it was Milivojevic and Schlupp that came up with the vital contributions, it was the performance of Mamadou Sakho in the heart of the Eagles backline that epitomised everything brilliant about Palace at the weekend.

Ultimately, the 28-year-old has proven to be an inspired addition to the Palace backline following his arrival from Liverpool on a permanent deal back in the summer of 2017, what with the centre back excelling in a loan spell earlier that year to underline his importance to this Eagles side.

And the defender, but for the odd lapse in concentration, continues to prove his worth to Hodgson, and that was none-more-so evident than on Saturday as the France international produced another authoritative display to help Palace to a ninth clean sheet of the season.

The centre back may have only touched the ball on 58 occasions over the course of the 90 minutes, what with Fulham dominating possession for much of the encounter, but Sakho finished the contest with a staggering 98% pass success rate, misplacing only one of the 41 passes he attempted – for what it’s worth, no other Palace starter hit 90% on Saturday (as per WhoScored).

And having someone like that on the ball who is comfortable in possession but invariably picks a pass can only be good news in bringing calmness and a measure of control to the backline – Sakho certainly helped do that at the weekend.

Yet the former Liverpool centre back also did his bit off the ball as well to stop Fulham in their tracks, winning three of the five aerial duels he contested over the course of the 90 minutes, as well as making a joint team-high eight clearances and two interceptions to relieve pressure on the Palace defence.

Clearly then, Sakho helped deliver a performance of note both on and off the ball to help Hodgson’s side to a crucial three points on Saturday, with the £13.5 million-rated ace (as per Transfermarkt) the star in a great team display to underline just how much he epitomised everything brilliant about the Eagles at the weekend.

Palace and Fulham fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Crystal Palace had some highs and lows in January, in what turned out to be a mixed month. 

The Eagles came very close to beating league leaders Liverpool, and overcame Tottenham in the FA Cup- both being superb performances.

Equally, this was going to be a significant month in the transfer window, as they entered it with some glaring deficiencies in their squad that needed to be resolved.

With that in mind, these are the two biggest mistakes Crystal Palace made over the transfer window:

Not signing a striker soon enough

The chronic lack of form from The Eagles’ strikers has forced manager Roy Hodgson to field wingers Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend in that position for most of the season so far. They desperately needed a new striker and it should have been a matter of urgency. Therefore, it is bizarre that they waited until Deadline Day to bring in a new player.

Palace signed Michy Batshuayi on loan from Chelsea in the final hours of the transfer window, in what may be a very good signing indeed. The Belgian had a wonderful time with Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga last season, and while his loan at Valencia didn’t go to plan for the first half of this season, he still has undoubted talent.

But had Palace signed the 25-year-old, or a player of his ilk sooner, they may have avoided some troublesome results in January. The Eagles lost to Watford at home and drew with Southampton away. Had they had the striker that they were wanting, the results could have been different. They are only hovering four points above the relegation zone, and those sacrificed five points could prove to be costly.

Re-signing Bakary Sako

Now this is not necessarily saying that Bakary Sako is a bad player, but it is hard to see what he has done to warrant returning to Selhurst Park.

The 30-year-old was released by Palace at the end of last season, and was signed for free by Championship outfit West Brom. He started a total of two Championship games during his time with The Baggies, and while he may have worked his way back to fitness, he did not exactly take the team by storm.

He may thrive again at Palace, but this is a bit of a faux-pas by them signing a player that was deemed not good enough at the beginning of the season.

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Mohamed Salah returned to form on Saturday and it is no coincidence that Liverpool, too, got back to winning ways.

The Egypt international was deployed on the right flank against AFC Bournemouth and scored as the Reds won 3-0.

On the chalkboard

Liverpool’s return to 4-3-3, and Salah’s move to the flank, brought the best out of the forward almost immediately.

He has been used in central roles recently and was quiet in the Reds’ last two league outings, in draws against Leicester City and West Ham United.

This time out, however, Salah was at the centre of everything Liverpool did right.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

Per WhoScored, Salah touched the ball just 42 times against Leicester and completed just 16 passes. Similarly, the forward touched the ball 47 times in the draw with West Ham, completing 24 passes.

By comparison, Salah had 77 touches in the win over Bournemouth and completed 43 passes. His contribution, essentially, was doubled, as he was given the freedom to roam into the centre and affect play further forward, instead of having his back to goal.

It is no surprise, then, that he scored, and also made three key passes.

Stick with a winning formula

It makes no sense for Klopp to change this now.

Liverpool have a remarkably tough week coming up, as the Reds face Bayern Munich in the Champions League before a clash with high-flying rivals Manchester United.

United are yet to lose a game under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and they will be out to stop the Reds’ title challenge in its tracks.

It would be logical, then, for Liverpool to stick with 4-3-3 and allow Salah the freedom to roam.

He is a world-class wide player but his effectiveness is limited when he is deployed through the middle.

Against the defences of Bayern and United, he should play on the right, and be allowed to wreak his own inimitable brand of havoc.

Tony Pulis has forever divided opinions with his glorified pub football style of play, but recent signing John Obi-Mikel is convinced he’s the man to bring promotion glory to Middlesbrough.

John Obi-Mikel, Premier League winner, Champions League winner, Europa League winner, FA Cup winner, and EFL Cup winner, believes his new boss Pulis is the man for the job. Even with all the negativity currently surrounding the team, Mikel’s positivity is remarkable, if not a little unfounded.

Off the pitch quarrels involving players laughing at away fans after their recent cup loss to Newport County is nothing short of disgraceful and, despite Pulis having very little control over the conduct of his players, could well spell the end of his career in charge (story via Gazette Live).

Indeed, there’s no doubt that the Welshman has really got to put his so-called managerial prowess into practise now heading into the final stages of the season if he wants to divert fans attentions away from recent controversies. And, fortunately for him, serial winner Jon Obi-Mikel is well and truly supporting him.

Mikel recently told The Northern Record: “We have to keep going, we have a very good team with a very good manager who we all believe in. We all know what he wants us to give on the pitch. If you give that he is happy. We have to keep going, we know we can achieve what we want.”

A trip up next against fellow promotion hopefuls Sheffield United, who will be keen to bounce back from their disappointment capitulation against Aston Villa, won’t be the easiest game for the club but providing they all carry their new signings optimism things may go to plan.

Without Pulis’ presence at the Riverside and the obvious promotion-related excitement that creates, someone like Mikel was attracted to the Middlesbrough project. With that in mind, like him or not – Pulis is clearly good for Boro in that regard.

Indeed, he’ll be even better if he can lead them back into the proverbial Promised Land.

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Liverpool failed to break the deadlock against Bayern Munich at Anfield on Tuesday night, meaning the Champions League last 16 tie remains goalless heading into the second leg in Germany. 

The Reds were by far the more aggressive team, and squandered a number of chances to put themselves ahead. However, whilst Jurgen Klopp’s attacking contingent failed to deliver, Liverpool’s midfield and defensive units deserve praise.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

The Bundesliga club never posed much of a threat, largely because the home side were dominant in the middle of the park. The performances of club captain Jordan Henderson and 24-year-old Naby Keita particularly stood out.

Keita produced a hard-working, energetic display, and showed plenty of confidence with his dribbling and willingness to drive forward. The 31-cap Guinea international looks to have settled in on Merseyside now following his summer switch, and Liverpool fans are beginning to see the best of him.

After the match against Bayern Munich, plenty of Liverpool supporters took to Twitter to praise Keita…

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Loads of Tottenham fans have been reacting to their latest setback at Burnley, and they’re not too happy with left-back Danny Rose.

Tottenham missed a golden opportunity to gain some ground on the Premier League leaders on Saturday, falling to a 2-1 defeat at Turf Moor.

Chris Wood opened the scoring in the second half with a lovely flicked header that came down off the crossbar, but Harry Kane equalised on his return to the side with a smart low finish from a tight angle.

Ashley Barnes then decided the match, tapping in from close range courtesy of a rather lucky cross-shot from Johann Berg Gudmundsson.

The Lilywhites could have closed the gap to just two points before Liverpool’s visit to Old Trafford, but a seventh league loss of the season leaves Mauricio Pochettino’s side with a mountain to climb if they are to truly test the top two.

Few of the players covered themselves in glory, but the full-backs were particularly poor.

Serge Aurier looked lost playing on the right flank, while Rose completed just 75 per cent of his overall passes, the second-lowest of any Spurs outfield starter (Juan Foyth completed just 68 per cent).

The English international did set up Kane’s goal with a smartly taken quick throw, but the Twitter reactions down below do not make pretty reading for the 28 year-old…

Leeds United have confirmed that over 6,000 fans have renewed their season tickets ahead of next season, perhaps in the hope of seeing the Whites play in the Premier League.Marcelo Bielsa’s men are currently third in the Championship after Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat to QPR.Leeds could have moved top with a victory at Loftus Road but Luke Freeman’s goal leaves the club third, two points behind leaders Norwich City and level on points with second-placed Sheffield United, with a worse goal difference.Nevertheless, the club’s supporters appear ready to stick it out with the club as they bid to win promotion to the top-flight.Leeds face the Blades before the end of the season though they will not play Norwich again, after losing 3-1 at Carrow Road and winning 3-0 at Elland Road.And many supporters have confirmed that they are hopeful of seeing their side win automatic promotion to the top-flight, though some insist that the timing could have been better, after seeing their side forego the chance to move top of the table.

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Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter to react after Andros Townsend won the ‘Goal of the Year’ award at the London Football Awards on Thursday evening.

The England international picked up the accolade as a result of his stunning strike against Manchester City at the Etihad earlier this season, in which he rifled a dropping ball into the top right corner from well outside the box.

His goal also meant more than just pure aesthetics. Townsend’s strike helped the Eagles beat the champions 3-2 on their own turf, becoming the only side to do so in the current campaign – the former Tottenham man has become the first player to win the ‘Goal of the Year’ award at the London Football Awards.

Impressively, the 27-year-old was also nominated for the ‘Player of the Year’ award after an impressive season in which he has already hit seven goals – a personal best – although he lost out to Tottenham’s Son Heung-Min.

Understandably, Palace fans are beaming with pride at Townsend’s achievement, and have taken to Twitter to react…

Positive signs at Tottenham surely means there is no chance of players, or manager, jumping ship at this point.

There are two angles to be taken when discussing why Tottenham players would want to leave a club during this point of transition.

The obvious one is ‘they would not’.

Spurs are due to move in their brand-new stadium this season having played the majority of their games at Wembley for the previous two terms, and that in itself is a welcome change for us all.

Surely the most exciting bit of news for players and fans alike is that they are due to move into their new mega-stadium at some point this year after repeated, frustrating delays and two season at Wembley.

Indeed, it is a welcome change for us all to see domestic cup final venue Wembley finally on the road to recovery after becoming a tedious formality in English football.

And we are sure Tottenham share this sentiment.

There is also the small point that manager Mauricio Pochettino is surely set to remain as the manager.

Manchester United and Real Madrid were both heavy favourites to secure his services following their respective managerial mishaps, but now with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the wheel and Zinedine Zidane returning to the Spanish capital, there is very little chance of the Argentine getting itchy feet and moving on.

There is, like so many people have said before, a major project going on at Tottenham at the moment. The club have done tremendously well to perform without making any new additions in the summer, but having seen their promotion hopes dashed, and their third-place finish in doubt, there is every chance that the club will spend uncharacteristically big to shake their ‘bottle job’ status.

Tottenham fans, how confident are you of keeping everyone on board this summer? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

When West Brom sacked Darren Moore, in what was a surprise move to many, fans believed the only logical explanation was that they had already approached his potential successor, and would appoint someone immediately.

A play-off spot to secure, followed by a hopeful, as opposed to anticipated, promotion to celebrate afterwards, meant that surely the new man would slip into the hot-seat seamlessly, and get on with the job at hand.

But those hopes have been well and truly thrown out the window, as the hunt for the next Baggies boss goes on… and on… and on, and the timing of Moore’s sacking becomes seemingly more farcical by the day.

So much so, that having spoken with former Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic, and courting Preston manager Alex Neil, the Mail Online are now reporting that the fans’ nightmare outcome is looking more likely — another temporary appointment until the end of the season.

Albion fans can quite rightly claim that the club have learned absolutely nothing from a year ago, when the hopeless Alan Pardew was replaced by the, now ousted, Moore on an interim basis.

James Shan winning the two games he has been in charge for is great news for fans. It is exactly what was needed to regain momentum in the play-off race.

But what happens next?

The play-off platform foundations were laid by Moore. Yes, the club probably expected a more concerted automatic promotion push, but they find themselves in a relatively safe spot to reach the post-season, and is that really a position to sack your manager from?

If Shan — and a partner who could be brought in to help him — secure the play-off spot, and maybe even win promotion, what are those in charge of the hiring and firing going to do?

If they then decide to keep faith with the duo in place, fans will argue that this is the same merry-go-round scenario, and that it would be likely to have the same outcome next year.

West Brom’s very own Groundhog Day!

The ineptitude of the board is stunning, and they have sold Baggies fans short with their bungling efforts to bring in a manager that will take the club forward.

Forget interim appointments, approach the right man, and pull out all the stops to have him in place now. The future of the club depends on it!

What are your thoughts of the whole managerial farce at your club West Brom fans? Leave a comment below and share your thought…