Crystal Palace provided one of the comebacks of the season on Saturday, as the Eagles battled back from 2-0 down at Burnley to win 3-2.
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Two goals from Dwight Gayle -- which took his tally to 10 for the season -- and another for Jason Puncheon means it is now two wins in two for Alan Pardew since taking over as Palace boss.
Speaking after the win at a wintry Turf Moor, Pardew was delighted with the spirit shown by his players to fight back from two-goal deficit.“What a performance to come back. I don’t care who you are playing against. It was an amazing game and I thought we deserved it,” Pardew beamed. “Jason Puncheon was the best player on the pitch today by a country mile. It’s a great win for us that gives us great momentum. These players needed a bit of a lift and belief. I know these players and I know how they click so it’s been easy for me to settle. The application can’t be faulted in the three matches that I’ve had so far.”
Since leaving a top 10 club in Newcastle to take over at relegation candidates Palace, Pardew has secured back-to-back wins to open up. That has created an instant feel-good factor around Selhurst Park, as the Eagles are already up to 12th place in the standings and are four points above the drop zone.
Pardew knows there’s plenty of tough games ahead for his new side but grabbing all three points on Saturday against a relegation rival was crucial. The manner in which they won will also impress him and in the likes of Puncheon, Gayle, Wilfried Zaha and Yannick Bolasie (when he returns from the Africa Cup of Nations) they have game-changers galore.
Like the famous club anthem, Pardew, his players and fans of Palace are certainly “glad all over” this weekend.