Cardiff are relegated from the Premier League after a 3-2 defeat to Palace. The home side made a bright start to the game but went behind in the 28th minute after Zaha found the back of the net with a low shot into the bottom corner from long range. Cardiff went level just three minutes later though when Kelly failed to clear Bacuna’s cross and turned it into his own goal. Batshuayi restored Palace’s goal before half-time though when he fired the ball over Etheridge and into the roof of the net. Townsend then scored Palace’s third when his low shot rolled across the goal line after hitting the post. Reid did get a consolation goal for Cardiff in stoppage time with a great curling effort past Guaita, but in the end, it wasn’t enough for the home side.
90′ + 4′ FULL-TIME: CARDIFF CITY 2-3 CRYSTAL PALACE.
90′ + 2′ Palace are slowing the pace of the game down again now as they try to keep the ball and run down the clock to make sure that they still get the three points.
90′ Mendez-Laing got his head up and just saw Reid ahead of him in some space and slipped the ball through to him to set up the goal.
B. Reid
Goal
90′ REID PULLS ONE BACK FOR CARDIFF! As soon as he receives the ball from Mendez-Laing, he takes a touch to move away from his defender and curl his effort past Guaita and into the back of the net. 3-2!
89′ GOOD SAVE BY GUAITA! Reid slipped the ball through to Mendez-Laing who has drifted in from the right wing and the midfielder drives his shot on target. He’s trying to catch the goalkeeper out at his near post, but Guaita just manages to push the effort onto the post and out of play.
87′ Cardiff are still trying to push forward late in the game, but their passing has become very sloppy now whenever they move out of their own half and Palace are winning the ball back a lot easier than they were earlier in the match.
85′ GOOD CHANCE FOR HOILETT! Mendez-Laing beat Ward down the right wing and put a good cross into the far post where Hoilett was waiting. He just leaned back as he took the shot from close range and sent his effort high over the crossbar.
C. Kouyaté
A. Townsend
84′ Final change of the game is by Palace as Townsend, the scorer of the away side’s third goal, is replaced by Kouyate.
82′ Cardiff are causing Palace a lot of problems from set pieces. This time it’s a corner that’s put into the box and Hoilett pulls away at the back post. He has to stretch to reach the ball with his first touch and he does get his shot away, but it’s straight at Guaita.
J. Hoilett
Josh Murphy
80′ Final roll of the dice for Warnock now as Hoilett comes on in place of Murphy.
80′ Zaha saw Sako’s run to the far post and whipped a good cross into the area from the right wing. The substitute threw himself forward to get on the end of it, but could only send his effort wide of the target. The linesman had his flag raised though so it wouldn’t have counted anyway.
M. Meyer
J. Ayew
78′ Hodgson makes Palace’s second change now as Ayew comes off to be replaced by Meyer.
77′ MCARTHUR CLEARS IT OFF THE LINE! Morrison does really well to keep the ball at his feet to set up Murphy who drives his shot on target. It had beaten Guaita who had drifted off his line, but McArthur got back to make the important clearance off the line for his side.
75′ Murphy once again whips a free-kick into the box from the left wing and it’s Morrison who gets on the end of it again. None of his team-mates have made a run towards the goal line though and Guaita comes off his line to collect it.
B. Sako
M. Batshuayi
73′ First change of the game for Palace now as Sako comes on to replace Batshuayi.
72′ Cardiff aren’t ready to give up on the game just yet and they win another free-kick. Murphy puts the cross into the box and picks out Morrison who rises highest, but he can’t direct his header on target and it finishes well wide of the post.
J. McArthur
Assist
70′ McArthur simply played a pass into Townsend’s path, but all of the hard work was done by his team-mate to get in on goal.
A. Townsend
Goal
70′ TOWNSEND MAKES IT THREE! He travelled a long way with the ball after McArthur played him in on the right wing and Townsend brought the ball inside and curled his shot along the ground to the near post. It beat the keeper and rolled across the line after taking a deflection off the woodwork. 3-1 Palace!
69′ Palace are starting to grow in confidence on the ball once again and are causing Cardiff a lot of problems. Milivojevic swings another corner into the box and this time it’s Kelly who gets on the end of it, but his header is straight at Etheridge.
67′ Milivojevic has pulled out to the left wing to put a cross into the box and he finds Ayew who tries to touch it into the crowd of players waiting behind him, but it’s Bennett who reacts quickest to clear it for Cardiff.
65′ Reid plays a brilliant throughball past two Palace defenders to pick out Zohore’s run into the box. Guaita was quickly off his line to close him down and he hit his shot directly at the keeper who took enough pace off the ball to allow Kelly to put it out of play.
63′ Cardiff once again work the ball into a box with a long pass over the top and it falls to Murphy. He cuts back inside to create more space for himself but he’s closed down quickly and his shot is blocked by Kelly.
62′ Palace look like they are happy to play on the counter-attack for the time being as once again they win the ball back in midfield and Townsend tries to carry it upfield. The final ball into the box is poor though and Etheridge is able to get it clear.
K. Zohorè
D. Ward
60′ Second change for Cardiff as Warnock brings on Zohore in place of Danny Ward.
59′ The game is so open at the minute as Cardiff are committing so many men forward as they chase an equaliser. When Palace win the ball back, they try to use that to their advantage, but the passing from both sides has been sloppy in the last few minutes.
57′ Cardiff just can’t get the ball clear after Ayew puts a cross into the box from the right wing. Zaha picks it up on the opposite side and cuts the ball back to Townsend who hits his shot first time, but his effort is blocked by Manga.
55′ GREAT CHANCE FOR MURPHY! Mendez-Laing puts a good cross into the box to pick out his team-mate and Murphy is close to the goal when he tries to side-foot his shot into the back of the net. He can’t put it on target though and he sends it wide of the post.
54′ Gunnarsson urges his team-mates forward as he puts a long throw-in into the box once again. Morrison is up once again to nod it down into Murphy’s path, but he can’t get on the end of it before Dann clears it.
52′ Peltier is the one to put the free-kick into the box this time and he picks out Morrison who nods the ball down into the crowd of players, but Palace reach it first and are able to get it clear.
50′ GOOD CHANCE FOR DANNY WARD! The free-kick is whipped into the box and he brings it down with his first touch. The ball gets caught under his feet though and his effort flies wide of the target.
49′ Cardiff have made a bright start to the second half and are getting into some dangerous positions high up the field. So far, they just haven’t been able to get in behind the Palace defenders and cause the away side any problems.
47′ Murphy is down receiving treatment after being caught by Wan-Bissaka on the edge of the box. It looks like he was caught on his foot, but he’ll be able to carry on.
46′ Palace get the game back underway for the second half!
As it stands, Cardiff are being relegated from the Premier League and they need to find a way back into the game to avoid that fate. It’s been a very open game and Cardiff have struggled to cope with the pace of Palace’s attacks in the first half. If Warnock can find a way to add some stability to his back line in the second half, then that’ll help them when they push forward to find a way back into the game. Hodgson will be hoping for more of the same from his side as they have got into some dangerous positions so far and look a threat every time they get into the final third.
Palace lead Cardiff 2-1 at half-time. The home side made a bright start to the game and came close to taking the lead when Murphy hit the post in the first minute. It was Palace who took the lead though through Zaha, who was allowed too much space on the edge of the box and his low shot nestled in the bottom corner. Cardiff did find a way back into it though when Kelly failed to clear Bacuna’s cross and turned the ball into the back of his own net three minutes later. Palace then regained their lead when Batshuayi fired his shot into the roof of the net after a clever one-two with Ayew.
45′ + 5′ HALF-TIME: CARDIFF CITY 1-2 CRYSTAL PALACE.
45′ + 4′ Zaha used some clever footwork to get past Peltier before cutting the ball back to Milivojevic who was running into the box. He struck it first time, but it’s blocked at close range by Morrison.
45′ + 2′ Palace are very quick to work the ball upfield when they win the ball back and this time it’s Ayew who finds himself in on goal. He can’t direct his effort on target though and it’s wide of the near post.
45′ Batshuayi is down receiving treatment after going down holding the side of his head. He’s quickly back to his feet though and he’ll be able to carry on.
43′ GREAT SAVE BY ETHERIDGE! Palace are straight on the counter-attack and Townsend puts a good cross into the box to pick out Batshuayi who directs his header low on target and the keeper gets down quickly to deny him.
43′ GOOD CHANCE FOR REID! Another corner followed Manga’s chance and this time it’s Reid that gets on the end of it, but his header is straight at the goalkeeper who was stood in the right place to push the ball away.
42′ GOOD SAVE BY GUAITA! Manga gets forward for the corner and rises highest to get on the end of Murphy’s cross. His header is going to the roof of the net but Guaita makes a good save to tip it over.
40′ ZAHA COMES CLOSE! Milivojevic cuts the ball back into the box from the right wing and picks out Zaha near the penalty spot. He hits his shot first time, but in the end, it rebounds off Ayew.
M. Batshuayi
Goal
39′ BATSHUAYI PUTS PALACE BACK IN FRONT! The Cardiff players just didn’t get close enough to the Palace players in the box and Ayew’s pass into Batshuayi took a slight deflection which took it away from the defenders. The Belgian let it bounce before firing his shot over Etheridge to score the goal. 2-1 Palace!
37′ Kelly’s own goal was the first scored by a Palace player in the Premier League since Kelly himself scored an own goal against Chelsea in March 2018.
35′ Palace have another free-kick down the left wing which Milivojevic swings into the box. It’s cleared by Morrison, but only as far as Bathuayi. The Belgian takes the shot first time, but it’s a wild effort and it flies high over the crossbar.
33′ Townsend is causing Cardiff a lot of problems in the wide areas at the minute and he ends up winning a free-kick when he’s brought down by Bennett. Milivojevic swings the set piece into the box, but it comes to nothing.
M. Kelly
Own Goal
31′ KELLY SCORES AN OWN GOAL TO PULL CARDIFF LEVEL! Bacuna’s cross into the box was put into a good area of the box, but none of his team-mates had made the run to get on the end of it. Guaita was off his line but Kelly tried to clear it ahead of him. He mishit it though and ended up knocking it into the back of his own net 1-1!
30′ Palace win back the ball quickly after the restart and they are once again on the attack and causing Cardiff some problems, but when Townsend’s cross goes into the box, Morrison is in the right place to clear it.
A. Townsend
Assist
28′ Townsend’s run with the ball draws the defenders to him before he squared it back into the middle of the pitch where Zaha was waiting.
W. Zaha
Goal
28′ ZAHA PUTS PALACE AHEAD! He was given too much space on the edge of the box and Gunnarsson couldn’t close him down quick enough when Townsend’s pass picked him out. He hits his shot low into the bottom corner and beats Etheridge at his near post. 1-0 Palace!
27′ ZAHA COMES CLOSE! He wrongfoots his defender twice to get some space on the edge of the six-yard box before driving his shot low towards the near post, but he drags it just wide of the target.
25′ Mendez-Laing times his tackle perfectly to win the ball back from Zaha and tries to set Danny Ward off on the counter-attack straight away. The forward wasn’t expecting the pass though and Kelly got ahead of him to intercept it.
23′ The Cardiff fans have quietened down a lot now after their side’s bright start to the game. Cardiff just haven’t been able to get on the ball in the last few minutes which has deflated the crowd.
21′ Whenever Cardiff win the ball back, they seem to give it away quickly to Palace with sloppy passing or loose touches.
19′ Palace are just slowing the pace of the game down at the minute as they keep possession in their own half. Cardiff are happy to let them do that as they sit back and close down the space.
17′ Both teams have made a bright start meaning that the game is very open at the minute. Both sides are being allowed to get into dangerous positions, but their final balls into the box have been letting them down a bit so far.
15′ Townsend has switched to the left wing for the time being and whips a brilliant cross into the box to pick out Zaha’s run. He takes it down well with his first touch, but then the ball just runs away from him and Gunnarsson is able to win it back for Cardiff.
13′ Cardiff are causing Palace a lot of problems in the final third at the minute. Danny Ward has drifted out to the right to put a cross into the middle of the box, but it’s intercepted by Joel Ward, who puts it out for a corner.
L. Bacuna
Víctor Camarasa
11′ Camarasa went down again after coming back on following his treatment and Cardiff are being forced into an early change due to his injury. Camarasa goes straight down the tunnel and Bacuna is on in his place.
9′ Townsend saw some space open up ahead of him and he takes a shot from very long range. He drives it low and on target, but it’s a comfortable save for Etheridge.
7′ Camarasa is gingerly back to his feet as he makes his way to the sideline. Cardiff do have substitutes warming up, but it looks like they’re going to give him a chance to run it off first.
5′ Camarasa is down after a heavy collision with Joel Ward when they both went for the ball. He’s receiving some treatment at the minute and he looks to be in some pain as the medical staff see to him.
3′ The initial corner by Palace is cleared, but only as far as Townsend. He moves out to the right and puts a good cross into the middle of the box where Kelly gets his head to it, but it’s saved by Etheridge.
1′ MURPHY HITS THE POST! He took a touch to create some space for himself and aims his shot for the far post. It takes a small deflection off Townsend before he is denied by the woodwork.
1′ Danny Ward gets the game underway for Cardiff!
The teams are out on the pitch now, with kick-off just moments away.
Since the start of 2019, only Manchester City (21) have won more away points in the Premier League than Palace (16).
Roy Hodgson makes four changes to his side after their draw with Everton last week. Ward, Townsend, Ayew and Batshuayi are all brought into the starting line-up. They replace Kouyate, Meyer and Van Aanholt, who start on the bench, and Christian Benteke who drops out of the matchday squad.
Neil Warnock makes three changes to the Cardiff side that lost to Fulham last weekend as Reid, Murphy and Ward all come into the side. Bacuna and Hoilett both drop down to the bench while Oumar Niasse doesn’t get a place in the squad.
CRYSTAL PALACE SUBS: Wayne Hennessey, Cheikhou Kouyate, Connor Wickham, Jairo Riedewald, Bakary Sako, Max Meyer, Patrick van Aanholt.
CRYSTAL PALACE STARTING XI (4-4-2): Vicente Guaita; Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Martin Kelly, Scott Dann, Joel Ward; Andros Townsend, James McArthur, Luka Milivojevic, Wilfried Zaha; Michy Batshuayi, Jordan Ayew.
CARDIFF CITY SUBS: Brian Murphy, Kenneth Zohore, Jazz Richards, Leandro Bacuna, Gregg Cunningham, David Junior Hoilett, Rhys Healey.
CARDIFF CITY STARTING XI (4-4-1-1): Neil Etheridge; Lee Peltier, Sean Morrison, Bruno Ecuele Manga, Joe Bennett; Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, Aron Gunnarsson, Victor Camarasa, Josh Murphy; Bobby Reid; Danny Ward.
Cardiff know that if they lose today, then they will be relegated from the Premier League. Their form coming into this game is worrying though as they have lost eight of their last 10 games in the competition, with wins against West Ham and Brighton and Hove Albion the only exceptions in that run. Palace’s form, on the other hand, is slightly rocky, but they have won three of their last six league matches (D1 L2).
Welcome to live coverage of the Premier League meeting between Cardiff City and Crystal Palace at the Cardiff City Stadium!
N. Mendez-Laing
Assist