Palace turnaround relegates Stoke

- Must-win for Lambert -

Stoke went into the game knowing they needed to win to keep their hopes of survival alive. Having not won since January, their chances were slim, however, especially against a Palace side who have looked a different prospect under new boss Roy Hodgson. The London side fielded an unchanged team from the one that beat Leicester 5-0 the last time out, while Stoke made just one change, replacing the injured Bruno Martins Indi with Glen Johnson.

- Home advantage - 

You could tell from the Stoke players' performance in the first half that they were desperate for a win, as they chased after Palace like terriers. The visitors showed more quality in the first half, but Paul Lambert's side matched them with their desire. Palace had five shots in the first half, but none were on target, and Stoke punished their profligacy just before the whistle.

- Shaqiri going out shining? -

Xherdan Shaqiri won his team a free-kick after being fouled by Ruben Loftus-Cheek just outside the box. The Swiss forward stepped up to the plate for the set piece, and curled a beautiful free-kick past the gloves of Wayne Hennessey to make it 1-0. Shaqiri is without a doubt Stoke's best player, and it seems highly unlikely they will be keep hold of him as they drop down into the second division.

- Palace quality shows -

Palace's quality began to show in the second half, and they continued to make chances for themselves. They found a breakthrough in the 68th minute, as Loftus-Cheek made up for his earlier error by setting up James McArthur with a ball to put him in down the left flank of the box. The Scot finished well, putting it back across the face of goal to make it 1-1. 

A draw would probably not have been enough for Stoke, but Palace crushed any survival hopes late on, as Ryan Shawcross failed to cut out a ball from Wilfried Zaha, accidentally playing Patrick van Aanholt in on goal. The defender made no mistake, slotting it past Jack Butland to make it 1-2. The clash ended with this score, assuring that Palace are safe from the drop, and bringing Stoke's time in the Premier League to an end.

 

May 5, 2018