Crystal Palace vs Bournemouth. Premier League.
Selhurst ParkAttendance25,078.
Report and free match highlights as Marcos Senesi and Kieffer Moore condemn Crystal Palace to defeat at Selhurst Park; Roy Hodgson's side booed off by angry home fans; win takes Bournemouth nine points clear of relegation zone
Wednesday 6 December 2023 23:03, UK
Crystal Palace were booed off at Selhurst Park as goals from Bournemouth duo Marcos Senesi and Kieffer Moore condemned Roy Hodgson's side to a third defeat in four games.
On a grim night for the hosts, Senesi punished poor marking to head home following a corner in the first half before Moore nodded in the second in stoppage time to seal a deserved victory.
Palace, without a home win since September, mustered little in response, barring a Jefferson Lerma shot which struck the post, and there were angry scenes at the final whistle as a fan appeared to launch a plastic projectile towards Hodgson as he left the pitch.
It's now two wins in 11 Premier League games for the Eagles, while Bournemouth's progress under Andoni Iraola continues. The victory, their third in four games, puts them level on points with Palace, nine points clear of the drop zone.
There were openings for both sides in the early stages, with Jordan Ayew and Michael Olise spurning half-chances for Palace and Antoine Semenyo forcing a low save from Sam Johnstone at the other end.
The Palace goalkeeper could do little about the opener, however, as poor marking allowed Senesi to power home his header from close-range following Luis Sinisterra's near-post flick-on.
Palace had an immediate chance to pull level when Ayew's powerful shot was parried by Neto, with Illia Zabarnyi making an excellent block to stop Odsonne Edouard from converting the follow-up.
Soon, however, frustration began to creep in and Bournemouth took control. The visitors threatened a second when Justin Kluivert fired wide after charging through midfield unopposed, and again when Dominic Solanke saw a diagonal shot saved.
Loud boos greeted the half-time whistle and a second-half fightback never really materialised, despite Lerma striking the woodwork when his angled strike was parried onto the post by Neto.
Palace did not even muster a shot on target in a turgid second half, with Bournemouth content to sit back and slow the game down before Moore headed fellow substitute Philip Billing's diagonal cross beyond Johnstone, prompting more dissent in the stands.
There were more mutinous scenes from the home fans after the final whistle as Hodgson and his players, defeated again and looking nervously over their shoulders, made their way down the tunnel to a backdrop of intense fury.
Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson gave a fiery post-match interview to Amazon in which he suggested the club's fans have unrealistic expectations
"The expectations are high, hence the boos. People came here to see us win and we weren't capable of winning.
"The fact is the fans have been spoiled here in recent times. They are used to seeing us do very well at home and get good results and this year we have not been able to do that.
"They came here today thinking after our good point against West Ham that we would run all over and blow Bournemouth away.
"But unfortunately they are false expectations because Bournemouth are not an easy team to blow away, they are in very good form, confident, winning matches."
Hodgson sought to clarify his comments in his press conference, saying he had spoken in the "spur of the moment" and underlining the importance of the fans' support.
"We have punched above our weight for a number of years and kept this team in the league. Last year, we even sped up the table and had an exceptional last 10 games.
"But the fact is we are still in the situation where every game has got to be street fighting and we need the fans at Crystal Palace as we know them, because without them it will become really hard for us.
"I suppose my point is, don't desert us because it's a bad moment. We are as sad as you are but you are still going to be very important."
Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola was delighted with the victory - even if their performance was not as fluid as in previous games.
"I think it was an important win for us," he said. "The way we won was good for the team. We were not as brilliant as the last games but today [Wednesday] we have been efficient, very compact.
"With another goal from a set-piece, we are adding small things to the team which are important.
"We knew Crystal Palace doesn't concede transitions. It's difficult. We knew that it was going to be important to score first and then have a little bit more space. That was really important."
Crystal Palace have two big matches in quick succession - they host Liverpool on Saturday in the Premier League, kick-off 12.30pm. They then face Man City on Saturday December 16, kick-off 3pm.
Bournemouth travel to Man Utd on Saturday in the Premier League, kick-off 3pm. The following weekend, they host Luton on Saturday December 16, kick-off 3pm.
