West Brom 3 – 2 Crystal Palace

Review by Richard Foster (Twitter: @rcfoster)

Jekyll and Hyde was first published in 1886; some 20 years before Crystal Palace FC were founded. But Robert Luis Stevenson’s famous story about a man of vastly differing personalities could have been written with this current Palace side in mind. Against West Brom on Saturday evening they illustrated this trait to perfection. The first half was quite simply a horror show – quite possibly the worst 45 minutes that they have played since returning to the Premier League in 2013. There were countless misplaced passes, possession was surrendered all too easily, the midfield was overrun and the defence sliced open time and time again.

Every single player was performing way below their best, and even Scott Dann – who has been such a rock at the back – was caught napping for two of the three goals. The second goal was particularly galling, with a free-kick unnecessarily conceded and a free header for Dawson from six yards out. A West Brom side that had lost 3-1 to Reading the previous weekend were made to look like Barcelona, with passes being sprayed across the pitch with confidence, and every time they attacked a goal looked likely. Whereas Palace, who had conquered the Premier League’s form team the week before, were – not to put too fine a point on it – woeful. The half-time whistle came as a blessed relief to the torture.

Yannick Bolasie was introduced at the start of the second half to replace the ineffectual Emmanuel Adebayor, and the transformation was instant. It was as if somebody had flicked a switch in the dressing room. Bolasie and Wilfried Zaha started to offer a real threat and there was suddenly, almost magically, an urgency and potency in the play. Connor Wickham capitalised on a Jonas Olsson mistake to offer a glimmer of hope, and Wickham struck an absolute beauty with ten minutes remaining – and the prospect of a comeback was on.

Despite some late pressure, the damage done in the first half could not be repaired and a 7^th defeat in the last 10 league matches continued the dismal run of late. That it came against former manager Tony Pulis, who is in the middle of an acrimonious dispute with the club about his abrupt departure 18 months ago, left a bitter taste. In the aftermath, Alan Pardew was adamant that Palace should have been awarded two penalties, and in hindsight both looked to be strong cases, especially the blatant shove on Dann from a corner. But, like players and managers, referees make mistakes and the truth is that being 3-0 down was nobody’s fault but their own.

If only the team could have started the whole game as they began the second half, then things may have turned out differently. Hopefully a lesson has been learned that starting strongly and maintaining momentum throughout the match reaps dividends. The game at the Hawthorns was the exact reverse of the pattern of the season so far, where an impressive first half has turned into a nightmarish second half. For the rot to stop it is now time for Palace to cast off their Jekyll and Hyde persona, and show their true colours continuously and consistently.

Richard Foster is a football journalist and author, follow him on twitter @rcfoster.

His latest book on the history of the Play-Offs: The Agony & The Ecstasy is available through most bookshops and Amazon – http://amzn.to/1lLIbnq