Crystal Palace showing signs they have the mettle for Premier League survival fight

CRYSTAL PALACE 2

Sako 89 McArthur 90

WATFORD 1

Janmaat 3

BY RICHARD CAWLEY AT SELHURST PARK

Better late, than never.

‘Don’t worry about a thing’ pumped out of the PA system at full-time with Crystal Palace fans singing along as they headed for the exits following this most unlikely of victories.

Lenny Kravitz’s ‘It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over’ would have been an equally apt song to choose.

Palace turned this Premier League match on its head with a frantic finish which saw them move out of the bottom three – for 24 hours – for the first time since the opening day depending on whether you think tables count in the ultra-embryonic opening weeks of a season.

I couldn’t see the win coming. At least not until Bakary Sako had bagged his first goal in the league since a 2-1 win at Chelsea in August 2015.

It was a messy goal laced with good fortune. Heurelho Gomes pushed Wilfried Zaha’s shot out in front of him – rather than the textbook goalkeeping approach of turning it to the side – and although he repelled Sako’s initial follow-up shot the ball bounced back off the winger’s left knee and across the line.

Zaha had endured a frustrating evening up until that point. But, just like Palace, he came good when it mattered.

Watford, it had to be said, switched off. The Ivory Coast international had three yellow shirts in front of him as he received the ball on the left-hand side of the penalty area – but two of them meandered away as he drove beyond Daryl Janmaat. A precision cutback was steered home from close-range by James McArthur.

Super-subs both producing super goals – at least in the context of Palace’s fight to stay in the top-flight.

Tom Cleverley’s 86th-minute dismissal imbued fresh belief into the Eagles, who spent a large chunk of the second half sleepwalking towards defeat.

The midfielder had already been booked for tripping McArthur and his second offence, unfairly halting Jeffrey Schlupp launching a counter following his own horribly sliced shot, made it an easy decision for referee Lee Mason.

Palace lacked a cutting edge for so long on the night. Andros Townsend’s shooting was wayward and it was no surprise that the winger’s ineffectual shift was ended prematurely, although Janmaat did well to prevent one of his crosses finding the head of Christian Benteke in the first period.

Timothy Fosu-Mensah had a shot that was so weak it did not even qualify as a pea-roller.

Watford produced the cleaner work in the opening 45 minutes with Richarlison underlining why he has been their man to watch. The Brazilian picked out Janmaat to nod the visitors into an early lead.

And the South American came close to picking up a second assist before the interval. First impressions were that it was an awful miss by Troy Deeney from what appeared to be a simple tap-in, but replays showed that Scott Dann got the slightest – but vital – of touches on the cross to make the chance more difficult.

Palace had a strong appeal for a penalty turned down as Christian Kabasele entwined himself around Benteke inside the area – not so much a case of holding as blatant manhandling. Luka Milivojevic’s free-kick struck the raised arm of Deeney in a jumping Watford wall as another spot-kick shout failed to be given.

Watford were less effectual in the second half with Richarlison unable to find the same pockets of space.

But Palace were struggling to raise their pace above pedestrian. At times it felt like they were a side protecting a one-goal lead, not looking to overturn it. Urgency was in short supply.

Julian Speroni, making his 400th appearance for the South Londoners, made an important save on 64 minutes. Janmaat’s cross floated over the main huddle of bodies in the box and dropped for Richarlison, but his shot was saved by the left foot of the Eagles legend when the strike was crying out to go across the goal.

Not that Palace were complaining at a rare piece of poor decision-making by the Hornets playmaker.

Milivojevic, suspended for Saturday’s trip to Leicester City after collecting a fifth booking, produced the pass of the night as he found Zaha, staying onside by the narrowest of margins, but the ball slipped under his right boot.

Soon after Zaha curled narrowly over the crossbar as he belatedly began to make bold incursions from the left.

He was getting closer and in swift succession had a gloved hand in the Eagles goals.

By the full-time whistle the Palace number 11 was cupping his ears – a clear dig at the Watford fans who had baited him.

Zaha has twice played a big part in Wembley downfalls for the Hornets – the 2013 Championship play-off final and the FA Cup semi-final in 2016. This is just the latest stinging outcome.

The Eagles are unbeaten in six Premier League matches, their longest sequence without a loss since the 2015-16 season when they won three and drew three between November 28 and December 28.

They have scored two goals in their last six fixtures at Selhurst Park. It’s seven games unbeaten in SE25 and it can rarely be said that it has been a happy hunting ground at home since their promotion to the top flight.

Roy Hodgson has quietly, calmly and professionally pulled Palace’s season back around to the point where they have a genuine chance of beating the drop.

No-one would have been saying that after seven straight losses at the start having just been steamrollered by both Manchester clubs.

Don’t worry about a thing? That isn’t in the nature of a football fan. But  it feels like the storm which battered the Eagles in the opening months has abated somewhat.