Roy Hodgson Admits 1-0 Win Over Newcastle Was Important for Premier League Survival

​Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson has said that he is proud of his players’ performance, as they beat Newcastle United 1-0 on Saturday afternoon and moved farther from the relegation zone.

The Eagles won thanks to an 81st minute penalty from captain Luka Milivojevic, after DeAndre Yedlin fouled Wilfried Zaha. The result sees them rise up to 12th place, as they move six places and 11 points clear of the relegation zone.

Luka Milivojevic

As quoted by the club’s official websiteHodgson gave his thoughts on his side’s win, saying: “It was a very important game; hard fought. I thought that I can be very, very proud of the team's performance.”

The result saw ​​Crystal ​Palace secure their third win in four games, and have lost just one of their last five away games. The Eagles have all but secured their ​Premier League status for another season, as they took their tally up to 39 points.

It was a very tight affair at St James’ Park, with both Palace and ​Newcastle battling to survive in the top flight. The hosts were unlucky to lose out to a late penalty, and Hodgson acknowledged their performance on Saturday.

FBL-ENG-PR-NEWCASTLE-CRYSTAL PALACE

Speaking about their opponents, Hodgson added: “I thought that we dealt with the attacking threat that Newcastle most certainly have. They’re very good at crossing the ball and getting bodies in the box and competing for those crosses.”

Hodgson was also full of praise for his defence, who kept back-to-back league clean sheets for the third time this season. Palace have conceded 43 goals this season, putting them level with Newcastle and ​Manchester United in goals conceded.

Speaking about his defence, Hodgson said: “I thought it was a sterling effort from our back four and our goalkeeper and the midfield players helping us out as well to make certain we kept a clean sheet today.”

Crystal Palace have two massive games ahead of them, starting with the visit of Manchester City to Selhurst Park next Sunday. They then travel to the Emirates for a London derby, as they face Arsenal on 21 April.


Source : 90min