Crystal Palace cruise past newly promoted Sheffield United

Crystal Palace kicked off the 2023-24 Premier League season with a 1-0 victory on Saturday, knocking off newly promoted Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.

Odsonne Edouard scored the game’s only goal four minutes after the halftime restart, redirecting a fantastic cross from Jordan Ayew to reward the Eagles for a comprehensive performance away from home. Crystal Palace out-shot Sheffield United by a final margin of 24-8 (8-1 on target) while holding two-thirds of possession and completing 443 passes (compared to 162).

Roy Hodgson is back in the saddle for his (second) first full season in charge of the south London side, and the Eagles are officially off to a strong start in the post-Wilfried Zaha era.

Jefferson Lerma makes stellar start to Crystal Palace career

Palace did one of the summer transfer window’s best pieces of business when they signed midfielder Jefferson Lerma on a free transfer from Bournemouth. Lerma made 100 PL appearances for the Cherries (plus another 76 in the Championship) and generally held his former side’s midfield entire team together out of sheer will and necessity.

Lerma was equally impressive on his Crystal Palace debut, as he made three tackles, six clearances, an interception and blocked a shot defensively. The Eagles’ backline has been immensely improved from last season to this, without a single change or new signing of the starting four.

How to watch Sheffield United vs Crystal Palace live, stream link, time

Kickoff: 10am ET, Saturday (August 12)

Online: Watch online via NBCSports.com