After the Lord Mayor’s show
Wolverhampton Wanderers 0 v Crystal Palace 2
Nuno Espirito Santo may have recently aired his disquiet about a demanding Christmas fixture list, but December has been a month of much bounty for Wolverhampton Wanderers. Starting with a rousing fight back against a Roman Abramovich XI and ending in emphatic style away at Tottenham, Wolves have claimed thirteen points from a possible eighteen. Significant or not their wins have come against top sides whom they have more than matched and in some cases outplayed. If there has been a failing then it occurred during ”the blip”, against sides from their peer group who made life difficult by adopting a more muscular approach. Thus, as the passage of time brought forth a new year, would Crystal Palace cause similar disruption?
The answer, somewhat predictably, is yes. Nuno may have aired his disquiet about a demanding fixture list but as I write he should be telling the fourteen who turned out tonight that they report to the training ground tomorrow at 8am sharp for a rigorous work out. Great sides play with an intensity and desire to win, every time they turn out. Tonight’s performance had none of that as once again Wolves went through the motions against a poor Crystal Palace side.
The game itself had all the excitement of a wet Sunday afternoon in Tipton the highlight of the first half a missed header by Willy Boly on the half hour. Even the south bank was subdued rarely breaking into song.
One hoped that the half time break might herald a change in tempo but following an early chance for Raul Jimenez normal service was resumed. Too often Wolves passed the ball about ad infinitum and rarely first time leading to ponderous progress and few opportunities. As the game plodded into the final quarter Crystal Palace made a concerted effort to break the deadlock the ball pinging around the Wolves penalty area like a pinball. Quite how it failed to find its way into the home side’s net was a mystery but not for long. In minute 82 defending of comical ineptitude was punished when Jordan Ayew finished off Patrick van Aanholt’s cross come shot.
Then in time added on Wilfried Zaha, who had taunted Ryan Bennett for much of the second half, was brought down in the box by the Wolves defender. From the ensuing penalty Luka Milivojevic made no mistake. By that time I was some way down the Newhampton Road, pondering my heading.
Wolverhampton Wanderers: Patricio 6, Bennett 5, Coady 6, Boly 6, Doherty 6, Moutinho 6, Saiss 5 Sub Neves, Jonny 6, Jimenez 6, Cavaleiro 6 Sub Traore, Costa 5 Sub Gibbs-White
Crystal Palace: Guaita 6, Wan Bissaker 6, Tomkins 6, Sakho 6, van Aanholt 7, Kouyate 6, Milivojevic 6, McArthur 6, Townsend 7, Ayew 6 Sub Wickham, Zaha 7
Attendance: 30,666
Referee: Roger East 8
©Mark Brennand