It probably wasn’t a fair result given Stoke’s domination of large parts of the game either side of the interval, but as at Goodison Palace showed resilience, defensive grit and an ability to hit hard on the break. If the win was built on the foundations of an excellent performance in goal to back up solid defending, it was seized by one of several dangerous counter-attacks that we launched in the second half, and from an unlikely source with quality to match.

Another large Palace following turned up at The Britannia to the news that Cabaye was injured, and replaced by Ledley (first League start this season?). That caused some furrowed brows, losing our midfield ace against what certainly turned out to be a quite different Stoke side from the prehistoric days of one Tony Pulis. Pardew started with a 4-4-2, Puncheon on the left flank and Bolasie supporting Wickham up front, and started fairly brightly without bothering Butland. However soon Stoke established dominance in midfield and kept Palace penned back for long periods, in part because Palace’s passing was at times very poor and we could not play the ball out of our own half. Still nothing much came of Stoke’s period of pressure either: their shooting from the edge of the box was poor, and Ledley & McArthur kept their midfield from penetrating into the box to support lone striker Shaqiri, who was perhaps Stoke’s most disappointing player. It took 25 minutes for either side to have a shot on target, but that nearly led to a goal with Hennessey making a fine save diving to his right from a shot he must have seen late.

Palace’s breaks were mostly down the right, but Zaha was having trouble getting past Pieters, all too often drawn into a battle of upper-body strength that he nearly always lost. Our problem s were down the left, where not only did Puncheon’s habit of drifting infield deny us width, but it also allowed Glen Johnson to push on, often leaving Souaré outnumbered. After about 30 minutes, with the midfield being overrun, Pardew made a switch to 4-5-1, with Puncheon dropping deep in the middle in almost a quarter-back role, and Bolasie on the left. That addressed one problem – and Bolasie did make one fine penetrating run late on – but still Palace struggled to break free, with possession often given away by poor decisions or execution, most of the players being guilty on at least one occasion. One failure to clear saw a cross from our right deflected onto the post by defender or attacker. The match was becoming scrappy so it was unexpected that Palace should make the breakthrough almost exactly on 45 minutes, Zaha a victim of a stupid challenge from behind in the box when he was facing away from goal. Wickham seized the ball and smashed the ball straight down the middle.

Second half found Palace kicking off with only 10 men, Wilf being very late out of the tunnel & not allowed to enter until he reached the halfway line – dozy thinking! The wind now became an obvious factor with Palace playing into it, but it did allow long balls to be played over the top for our wingers to catch. Stoke made a couple of openings, Johnson drawing another good save from Hennessey. Despite Stoke ramping up the pressure on & off the pitch it was Palace who made two good chances on the break: a fine run from Bolasie & excellent cross saw McArthur sliding in at the far post to just be denied by Butland; then Bolasie again broke free but his finish was awful. Almost immediately Stoke’s riposte saw a melee in Hennessey’s goalmouth that was somehow repelled by keeper & defenders. The pressure was really being turned up now but Palace saw off a series of crosses, well dealt with by Hennessey, Dann & Delaney. As often happened, as the game wore on it stretched and the second half had far more space & goalmouth action.

On about the hour Wickham departed injured; again Palace played a couple of minutes with 10 men as, despite Wickham being treated on the pitch then taking an age to limp off, Chamakh wasn’t ready to come on (blame the coaching team, not the player). He immediately made an impact, setting up McArthur in the box for a shot that was blocked with shouts for a penalty, then being set free by Bolasie but dragging his shot just wide of the far post. Stoke withdrew a midfielder & threw on the more physical threat of Walters, and Palace survived a shot that was deflected inches wide of the far post with Hennessey a helpless onlooker. Palace still looked bright on the break, with Wilf taken down twice in one attacking move, but Stoke really should have equalised when Bojan was played clear on the right side of our box; Wayne’s save was similar to those miracle saves Julian made to keep us up under Pulis.

Sadly Wayne was soon beaten, but the goal stemmed from some uncharacteristically shoddy defending. Hennessey had punched a ball out towards the corner flag trying to prevent a corner, but no one in a Palace shirt followed it up, and the ball didn’t go out of play. Although the initial cross was scrambled away, in the confusion that followed the ball struck a Palace hand, and (as some had feared) the referee evened things up by pointing to the spot – I can’t comment on the handball from 150 yards away but comments after the game indicated he had got that call right. Hennessey nearly reached Bojan’s fiercely struck penalty but it was 1-1 with 15 minutes to go.

Stoke went for the throat and it did seem like there could only be one winner. That thought was reinforced as Mutch and Lee Chung-Yong came on for Puncheon and Zaha, with a little more defensive solidity but a loss of pace. Stoke still made chances but with only a couple of minutes left  Lee set Bolasie free and Yannick broke into the box, but his finish was poor and saved by Butland (very similar to Hennessey’s best effort). From the corner both Mutch & Delaney had efforts blocked, then the ball ran free to Lee outside the box. His howitzer was struck so cleanly and accurately that Butland has no chance as it flew into the far top corner. The next few minutes are something of a blur as grown men hugged each other, and while Stoke strove for a second equaliser, we allowed long balls to be policed out of play, then ran the clock down on the break.

Hennessey – 9 – Almost faultless display from Wayne, with at least three very good saves (not sure who stopped what in one scramble) and commanded his box with some good catches & punches. Shall I knock a point off for not quite getting to the penalty? It may be that this performance closes Speroni’s career as Palace’s No.1 – a bittersweet moment.

Ward – 7 – Solid game, wasn’t often outflanked. Quick to clear up after Hennessey’s save in second half.

Souaré – 7 – Had trouble dealing with his winger & Johnson (thanks to his wingers) but stuck to his task well.

Dann – 8 – There were a couple of poor passes but also some decent runs out of defence. As for the day job his defending was as good as ever.

Delaney – 8 – Fingers pointed at Damien for the handball but I couldn’t see either offence or offender. There was one great block in the first half, the usual competent defending in the second, and a bit part in the winning goal.

Ledley – 7 – Looked a little rusty at times, and he was never quick at the best of times, but Joe stuck to his role well. Better at blocks than passing as usual.

McArthur – 7 – You tend to get consistent performances from James (very boring to keep writing the same old tosh each week). The passing wasn’t always accurate but with Ledley he kept Stoke at bay in the first half. Unlucky to be denied by Butland (although ref gave a goal kick).

Zaha – 6 – Thought Wilf had a mediocre game, summed up by his late arrival for the second half. Had one good run & cross in the first half, and did win the penalty. Defensively was slow at times in tracking back. Improved second half with a little more space but rarely looked like beating Pieters.

Puncheon – 6 – Not so good on the left wing – didn’t help Souaré much; looked more comfortable in the middle and did play some creative passes. Another who looked better in the second half.

Bolasie – 7 – Running – good; crossing – good; tracking back – hmm; finishing – oh dear!

Wickham – 6 – Struggled against Shawcross & Wollscheid in the air, but did make some good lay-offs with feet. Had bottle to take the penalty and thump it home.

Chamakh – 7 – Looked slow when came on (but no slower than his arrival) but his touch helped take advantage of the greater spaces opening up. Finishing a little rusty.

Mutch – 6 – Helped slow the game down and save a point... then had a small role in the winner.

Lee – 7 – I was muttering about a lack of pace; there was certainly plenty generated by his boot!

If Monday’s game at Goodison had seen two teams near the top of their form in a tough battle, today saw a slightly more prosaic match lit up by the off spark of brilliance where the gusting wind was a variable factor. It also showed how important the Cabaye – McArthur axis is to this Palace team. I certainly struggle to recall a better midfield duo at Selhurst, not necessarily in their individual talents – Lombardo was a more skilful player than Jimmy, for instance – but in their prowess as a combination. Jedinak & Ledley were certainly a major influence on Tony Pulis’s team, while you would have to go back to the Geoff Thomas / Andy Gray partnership for a pairing that had a similar impact, and that in an era when midfield play was certainly as athletic as today but the style of football was from a different era. It does, or course, help when other team components can build on this foundation, and while Thomas / Gray benefitted in the Wright & Bright team of the early 90s, Yohan & James have the help of talented wingers with a solid back four. It was interesting to note how Cabaye & McArthur would alternate which of them would push up to support the attack, allowing the other to gain a short respite; rarely did both of them move forward in open play, while they would both drop deep when Saints had the ball. Also notable was their work rate, which was expected in the 1990s but perhaps not from a player of Cabaye’s abilities back then.

Palace, with Zaha back from suspension to replace the injured Jedinak, lined up with the same starting XI that trounced Newcastle. It was in the 4-4-2 formation that Pardew has favoured recently, with Bolasie supporting Wickham, and with Zaha on the right and Puncheon on the left. Southampton lined up with three at the back, perhaps influenced by Sunderland’s success with the same tactics; it was nice to see Josè Fonte acknowledge the warm applause when his name was announced. Palace won the early midfield battles and established a large degree of early control, although actual chances were few, neither keeper having a real save to make. Bolasie often drifted wide on the left, which while making openings in good combinations with Puncheon & Souaré, sometimes left us light in the middle. Sometimes Wickham would do the same on the right side, leaving even less of a threat down the middle, but he was winning his early battles with Fonte, Soares and Van Dijk. The first real chances came in a sudden flow of three inside a minute or so, sparked when Bolasie, once again wide left, fired in what looked a wildly over hit cross only for the wind to catch it and curl it towards the top far corner. Gazzaniga (Nelson Muntz: “The second best Argentinean keeper I’ve seen”) showed great agility to claw the ball over from a corner. He also had to be sharp to save a Cabaye effort from the resulting corner, and a Wickham header from the one after that, before Zaha put a shot wide.

Southampton, not in the game at this stage, threatened for the first time from yet another Palace corner, a sudden break seeing Long waste a good opportunity by curling a shot just over the angle. He wasn’t popular, committing a ridiculous shove on Souaré, and later another foul leading with the arm on Dann. Mike Dean seemed as determined as against Arsenal to keep his cards hidden, Long being an obvious candidate, but McArthur also got away with three “professional” fouls breaking up moves without even the smallest admonishment. Southampton tweaked their tactics slightly, moving Van Dijk more towards midfield, which helped Davis & Romeu wrest control of the middle away from Palace for much of the rest of the half. Dann had to hack clear from near the line, while Hennessey showed impressive agility & a long reach to tip a Davis header just over the bar. So it was ironical that Palace scored at their opponents’ peak: a break down the right saw Zaha play a wonderful pass inside Yoshida for Bolasie to run onto; Yannick beat Fonte and his cross was turned in from close range by Cabaye. Southampton strove to regain equality before half time but their efforts, mostly from outside the box, were off-target.

The second half was less obviously divided between the teams, Southampton still just about having the edge in midfield, but failing to break through the hard-working, hard tackling combination of Cabaye and McArthur. An early excellent run by Bolasie carried him 50 yards but his near post cross couldn’t be turned in by Wickham. Puncheon would later dance inside the box from the other flank before finally succumbing to numbers, but these were rare breaks. Wickham was now getting less change out of Southampton’s back three, with Fonte impressive against his old team, and Palace were dropping deeper in front of the back four. Pardew made an important tactical switch, pulling Bolasie back onto the left of a 4-5-1, which allowed Palace to regain control of midfield. Koeman responded with a double substitution, abandoning the wing backs and moving to 4-4-2 with Pellè up front. That allowed Wickham a little more chance against only Fonte & Van Dijk, with Soares ending up at full back.

If anyone won that tactical battle it was Pardew as Palace once again had a spell where they made good chances, starting with some good play from Bolasie that, if anyone had been up in the box with him, should have seen someone prod the ball in from close range, but the ball had to be pulled back to Zaha whose shot under pressure was high. Mutch replaced Puncheon then Gazzaniga again denied Palace with another couple of fine saves: Wickham on the break saw his first Palace goal denied by a near post effort, then a far post volley by Bolasie drew an even better reaction save. Chamakh came on late on but it was Hennessey who saved two points in the third minute of stoppage time, as Long broke through but failed to beat the onrushing keeper. Out first Premier League win over Southampton, often a bogey team years before that, was hard fought but deserved.

Hennessey – 8 – An almost perfect game: controlled his box, dealing with crosses and coming out to claim through balls on a day wind made judgement crucial. His save of Davis’s header was one that a shorter keeper probably would not have reached (although one might allow for different reaction times, foot movement and agility...) while he finished the game a hero with a last second block.

Ward – 7 – Fine game at the back and supporting his winger, occasionally popping up on the edge of their box.

Souaré – 7 – Continues to impress as an attacking full back in his off-the-ball runs, speed and ability to deliver decent crosses on the run. His defensive skills are increasingly as impressive.

Delaney – 6 – Southampton rarely penetrated Palace’s box – I can only recall Long’s two chances, one in each half, the first of which found Damien playing offside, and then slow on the turn at then end. Nearly got on the end of an early Cabaye free kick.

Dann – 7 – Was beaten by Davis for the header in the first half but apart from that cannot recall any major errors.

Cabaye- 8 – There was the off loose ball, but some tigerish closing down and tackling topped off with some fine passing, often first time. Free kicks & corners were dangerous and popped up in the right place at the right time for the only goal. Only denied by Gazzaniga for an earlier score.

McArthur – 7 – Hard-working effort only slightly overshadowed by Cabaye. Their intuitive understanding of when to break and when to hold is wonderful to behold. Not afraid to commit fouls to break up an opposition move for the good of the team (thoroughly reprehensible when committed by an opponent, of course!).

Puncheon – 6 – Typical curate’s egg from Jason, with some lazy thinking or play occasionally giving the ball away, offset by some wonderful touches. Summed up his style when beat about 15 defenders inside their box but never looked likely to find a colleague. Not sure his best position is wide left.

Zaha – 7 – Thought first 20 minutes Wilf was mostly off the pace, slow to react or read the game, but in the first half still could have scored one, and showed great vision to set Bolasie free to set up the goal. Improved second half, although think he could have done better with chance set up by Bolasie.

Bolasie – 8 – Not sure if it is a master stroke to play Yannick down the middle, as he often pulls his marker out of position wide, but then leaves the side light in numbers to take advantage. Still, in either striker or winger role, he created one goal, set up Wickham & Zaha for good second half chances, and only denied a goal himself by a fine save.

Wickham – 7 – Started and finished well, winning balls and could have had scored one ion the first half & two in the second. In the middle period struggled especially against Fonte’s experience but kept going.

Mutch – 5 – First impressions are important, so when brought on to supply fresh legs in midfield Jordon’s  decision to not close down an opponent and allow him to push 20 yards forward wasn’t a good move. Made a couple of good touches late on.

Chamakh – n/a – Very late sub for Wickham

Saturday's performance went from the ridiculous to the sublime, as Mark Gardiner tells us in his match report.

I am not old enough to remember when Newcastle were a “Big Club” (I am, after all, only in my fifties) but I did wonder why they ditched their traditional black-&-white for all-white today. The answer wasn’t long in coming as the Toon rabble surrendered despite Palace giving away a handicap of a goal start. Palace initially looked like refusing the proverbial gift-horse before we found Newcastle so supine the only question left is: when did we last score 5 at home in the top flight? United over 40 years back? Shame that Wickham or Puncheon couldn’t break their ducks or that Chamakh wasn’t given the chance to, but that was about the only slight negative about today. One major difference from Monday night’s underwhelming display was the quality of the final ball or cross, which also helped Wickham put on a better performance. It was founded upon the dominance McArthur & Cabaye enforced in midfield, which in turn helped the two wingers.

Pardew chose to retain the same starting XI that had so disappointed on Monday. Despite the evidence of Sunderland’s tactical victory McClaren chose a flat 4-4-2 with no obvious holding midfield player and a defence that lacked any real pace. As soon as the match kicked off it was plain that Newcastle wee a shambles at the back and Palace pressed them hard, with an early tactical switch that saw Bolasie pushed through the middle and Puncheon switch to the left wing. Despite no clear chance being made it seemed only a matter of time until a goal came, and it only took 9 minutes. The weird fact was that Newcastle scored it. Zaha lost the ball on the halfway line, when play was switched to our left Puncheon put in a tackle as weak as my tea, and Cisse looked to have the freedom of the box with a header that looked like it went in off the post.

Remembering Monday our hearts sunk and the Toon nearly grabbed a second, but it didn’t take long for parity to be restored, although with a slice of luck as the deflection off McArthur’s shot saw Elliot diving the wrong way. The build up was decent with Wickham shielding the ball before laying it off to Jimmy, and the tall forward was to have a pretty good match. McArthur had another shot minutes later but ballooned his effort. Yet the sense of impending doom for the Toon wasn’t to be denied as Palace won the ball in midfield, Wilf was set free, and although his cross was somehow missed by Puncheon, Bolasie smashed the ball home at the far post. After that Palace piled on the pressure, Wilf having two shots blocked before he was booked for diving by referee Attwell. That decision looked justified but minutes later Wilf had his legs taken from under him only for Attwell to refuse a free kick. Wilf was irked (& at half-time had to be escorted off the pitch by Delaney) but another quick Palace attack and good hold-up play by Wickham saw Zaha strike a volley that hit the ground & Barnes Wallis-like bounced over Elliot into the top corner.

Newcastle needed a Pulis or Allardyce; their prospect of a likely comeback was snuffed out within two minutes of the second half after Zaha won a free kick. Cabaye’s delivery was excellent (so unlike Monday!), Delaney soared above the defence to knock the ball down, and Bolasie bundled the ball home. With the game effectively won & lost Palace players lined up to score next, Puncheon in particular having a fine effort just over, while a strong run & shot by Ward was only denied by the keeper’s top-over.

When the substitutions started on the hour the game seemed to drift. Jedinak came on for Zaha, which saw Cabaye pushed little further forward, until he was in turn replaced by Lee. In the gloom the ball spent most of its time up the other end of the pitch where Elliot was kept busy while Palace knocked the ball around and broke away almost at will. At the end Bamford came on for Wickham while Bolasie was looking for his hat-trick. The latter had one fine run in stoppage time, and after his cross wasn’t cleared, McArthur (nursing a dead leg) knocked home the fifth.

Palace played well but the opposition was powder-puff. At the end those away fans who had stayed behind gave the whole team dogs’ abuse; only Elliot had the guts to move within 50 yards of them, which sums up the attitude of those wearing the white shirt. Compare & contrast with the spirit, commitment & tactical cohesion shown by their near neighbours. Some of our pass & move play was high quality, with McArthur possibly overshadowing Cabaye, who looked to be trying too hard, while Ward & Souaré given license to push forward. There was the odd moment where the defence looked a little uncertain but usually Delaney was there with head or boot to clear the danger; there was one early header over from Cisse then a shot deflected past the post after a perfect knockdown by Ward!

Hennessey – 6 – Had very little to do after picking the ball out of the net. Made some decent catches from corners but I can’t recall another save. One moment of hesitation in second half when he should have come for a long ball – perhaps scarred by Monday’s indecision!

Ward – 7 – Strong game on the right. In defence didn’t have much to do, although his awful clearing header set up a chance for de Jong. On the attack showed up in advance positions to support the forwards, and had a long-range shot tipped over.

Souaré – 8 – Could not ask for more perfect opposition to highlight the attacking aspects of his play as Pape ranged down the left at will, delivering some dangerous crosses. Handled any attacks down his flank relatively well.

Dann – 7 – Not sure who exactly should have been picking up Cisse for their goal – suspect it was Scott as he seemed to be Cisse’s marker most of the day. Quieter afternoon given the paucity of Newcastle’s attack.

Delaney – 8 – Solid at the back, Damien seemed to collect the ball every time Newcastle attacked in the second half. Sometimes just putting the ball out of play is the best option. Towering header set up Bolasie’s second.

McArthur – 8 – Hard working display lit up by some fine passing and contributing two goals, although aided by an evil deflection and some awful defending – but you have to be in the right place at the right time. Did play some inaccurate passing but was often the heartbeat of the team.

Cabaye – 7 – Thought he tried too hard to impress or avenge himself on his old fans; early tackle was worthy of a yellow card and he did fly into some challenges. His set piece delivery was sharper than against Sunderland.

Puncheon – 6 – As usual some nice touches but too often his first act on receiving the ball was to turn back, disrupting the flow. Improved second half when he moved off the wing into a more central role and was unlucky with a shot that dipped just too late.

Zaha – 7 – One goal (if a little lucky with the bounce) and one assist, but I thought he could have burned his full back (Janmaat?) with pace, instead of slowing the play down and trying to outfox him. On the downside was caught in possession in build-up to their goal, and was booked for what looked like a premeditated decision to go down after ensuring slight contact; the referee probably got that right (no replay seen yet!) but might have influenced the decision when Wilf’s legs were taken away minutes later.

Bolasie – 8 – Switched down the middle and tore Newcastle apart, their defence being slow & flat (& a suicidal formation...); his finish for his first goal was very similar to that at Anfield. When moved wide in the second half he was again a major threat, his good run and cross from the left setting up the fifth. Good anticipation earned him his second goal.

Wickham – 7 – Finally received good service and returned a display similar to that he’d given at Stamford Bridge. Had a role in the first three goals, also won plenty of balls in the air. All that was missing was a goal, and he tried hard for that without luck.

Jedinak – 6 – Unusual choice of sub to replace Zaha but allowed Cabaye to move further up the pitch with a sound holding midfield display.

Chung-yong Lee – 6 – Late sub for Cabaye, showed some nice touches and forced a save out of Elliot.

Bamford – n/a – Even later sub for Wickham.