Crystal Palace beat Stoke 4-1 at Selhurst Park thanks to goals from James Tomkins, Scott Dann, James McArthur and Andros Townsend.
Crystal Palace made it two wins on the bounce by hitting four past a sloppy Stoke side. It was a first home win of the season for Alan Pardew’s men, who took the lead through James Tomkins in the ninth minute.
Scott Dann doubled Palace’s advantage two minutes later, with James McArthur and Andros Townsend scoring in the second half. Marko Arnautovic got a consolation for Stoke, but it ended 4-1 in favour of Palace.
As they climb up to eighth, here are five things we learned from Crystal Palace’s win over Stoke.
Benteke needs to get back to the basics
After scoring his first Palace goal last time out, Christian Benteke didn’t really get a sniff of goal against Stoke.
The Belgian did show some bright flashes, and brought his midfield into the game, but he spent a lot of the time attempting flamboyant tricks as if he was still lining up alongside Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino.
Benteke needs to get back to the basics and start bullying to defenders, rather than trying to dazzle them.
The return of Yohan Cabaye will take Palace to the next level
The Frenchman missed the game against Stoke, with James McArthur and Joe Ledley lining up in centre midfield.
While Ledley was solid enough, the craft that Yohan Cabaye possesses is undeniably better than the Welshman’s. Crystal Palace looked very impressive against a weak Stoke side, and showed signs of the team they can be with their pace going forward and industry.
With attacking talent such as Townsend, Wilfried Zaha and Benteke, a play-maker like Cabaye will be able to find them all day long. When he returns, Palace should mean business.
McArthur can fill the Jedinak void
The Scot gave an almost perfect performance in the middle, doing both sides of the game.
When Mile Jedinak departed to join Aston Villa, many fans questioned the decision to let their midfield enforcer leave Selhurst Park.
McArthur showed today that he can be the ball winner Palace need in the middle of the park, and his use of the ball once he won it was exceptional.
Set pieces are still Palace’s biggest threat
Palace were one of the best users of set pieces last season, and it is looking like nothing has changed.
Three of their goals came from dead ball situations, with only Townsend’s strike coming from open play.
With players like Dann and Tomkins in the side, and specialists like Jason Puncheon and Townsend supplying the ammunition, Palace’s talent from corners and free kicks should continue throughout the season, and help out Benteke as well.
Andros Townsend was worth every penny
Palace’s best piece of business this summer was bringing in Andros Townsend from Newcastle.
The winger was everywhere against Stoke, causing problems on both flanks and capping off his performance with a wonderful goal.
For £13 million, Palace have added a real threat who is arguably better than the player they sold to Everton, Yannick Bolasie. Townsend was worth every penny they spent on him, and his attacking exploits should ensure the Eagles have another positive season in the Premier League.
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