The combustive delerium when Yohan Cabaye's deflected shot nestled in the back of Thibaut Courtois's net was the result of months of frustration at the lack of goals and subsequently points. It was a cathartic moment for the players and fans -- and it all came from simple changes made by Roy Hodgson.
Bill Shankly once said that football was a simple game complicated by idiots -- the simplicity is to score goals and win games. The idiocy cans sometimes come from the layer of complexity we add to the sport. It is with that in mind that Hodgson took advantage of the two week break in fixtures to review and restructure Palace's approach. During the international break, the former England manager removed some of that complexity; and in simplifying the way the side played he allowed his team to express themselves.
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
So much has been said since Frank de Boer's sacking about Palace needing to go back to basics. In that regard, it was assumed that playing Tony Pulis tactics or Sam Allardyce tactics would be the necessity -- that Palace would return to a more direct, less possession-based approach to their game. But in assuming so, there's a misrepresentation of the work that Hodgson has done at the club -- and the work he did previously at West Brom and Fulham.
Palace didn't win from rudimentary football; they won from intricate play interspersed with spells of defensive ruthlessness and a goal-scoring knack that had been missing for so long. This wasn't a return to spoiling tactics -- Palace were instructed by Hodgson to take the challenge to their London rivals. And that's what the team did.
Jeffrey Schlupp lining up alongside Luka Milivojevic, James McArthur and Yohan Cabaye as part of the midfield unit was arguably the surprise of the day. Schlupp was signed as a left-back, has played as a left-winger and has sometimes featured as a striker, but as a centre midfielder? That seemed an unlikely move. What it proved to be however was a masterstroke.
Schlupp's pace allowed the player to cover in defensive areas and to provide additional support to full-backs, without then also putting his fellow midfielders under undue strain. Thanks to a seemingly-ceaseless reserve of energy, Schlupp not only proved himself to work diligently alongside his midfield teammates, but he did some excellent defensive work too. It wasn't an intricate tactical masterpiece but one that, when looked at in the context of the match, proved to be the simplest of innovations.
It's also worth highlighting the impressive way in which Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend performed in their attacking roles. Both have a tendency to drift wide but, thanks to what seemed to be a great understanding between the two players, when one did that the other played more centrally. While Zaha will get the majority of the plaudits for the excellent goal he scored and his tenacious performance, Townsend is worthy of a great deal of credit thanks to not only his work rate but also because of his ability to provide his teammates with an escape route -- the former Spurs winger took possession with Palace under pressure on a number of occasions, giving the defence an opportunity to reshape and reorganise.
Palace's cause was helped by the way Chelsea's defence cowered whenever Zaha and Townsend attacked -- but as Sam Allardyce said on Goals on Sunday, it's a known issue for this Chelsea team -- Palace just did an excellent job at exploiting it.
Saturday's win was also an opportunity for some of the more maligned Palace players to step forward. Scott Dann took the captain's armband and the centre-back position alongside Mamadou Sakho, Joel Ward returned to the right-back role, James McArthur in midfield and Julian Speroni in goal -- and all four put in hugely credible performances. Dann, like Ward, hasn't had an amazing 18 months. Injuries and poor form didn't help either of the defenders. The same couldn't be said for McArthur, who struggled with fitness during Allardyce's spell and looked like he might be leaving Palace under De Boer's reign.
In Speroni's case, after being omitted from Alan Pardew's side because of injury, he repeatedly struggled to convince the managers that followed of his ability. But in the world of goalkeeping, opportunities typically only present themselves when injuries occur -- and this happened prior to Saturday's game with Wayne Hennessey picking up an injury while on international duty.
Partnering with Sakho, Dann made Michy Batshuai look decidedly average, Ward did a sterling job of keeping Eden Hazard under wraps, McArthur was instrumental in the build-up to the first goal with a well-disguised pass to Townsend, and Speroni made a number of good saves to keep Chelsea at bay. All four have staked their claim for further inclusion in the first-team for the Newcastle United fixture next weekend.
This should also be a reminder that this is a squad game. That Palace are only as good as the sum of their parts. That a first eleven of best players doesn't always make the best team. That's not to say that with Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Christian Benteke available, Palace's starting lineup wouldn't change. But Hodgson picked an unlikely lineup that best suited the scenario he was facing. That's management.
While Palace's performance wasn't a classic one, it was impressive. The atmosphere and support that flowed from the stands was too. It was a reminder to us all what supporting the side felt like. What it meant. Speroni said in his PalaceTV interview that the support in the final few minutes galvanised the squad.
That he led the side to the noisiest corner in London at the end of the match, with most of the players following, just further empowered that bond. It wasn't just relief, but defiance that flowed from the stands. Palace must be resilient now, to fight for every minute of every game. And it all starts again next week against Newcastle United.