Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson has said he is satisfied with his side’s result, following their 1-0 win over Leicester City on Saturday afternoon.
The Eagles won it through their captain Luka Milivojevic, as his spectacular long shot in the first half sealed all three points for the London club. The result sees Crystal Palace move up to 15th, five points clear of the Premier League relegation zone.
Hodgson expressed his satisfaction in the win, speaking in his post-match press conference. As quoted on the club’s official website, he said: “It was never going to be a pretty game because it was never going to be an open game.
“It was a spectacular goal that won it for us, and I was rather hoping in the second half that we would get the break that would see us score the second.”
Milivojevic’s goal was the difference on Saturday afternoon, as the Serbian scored his first goal from open play this season, bring him to six strikes in total.
Speaking about Milivojevic, Hodgson said: “He scores some good central free-kicks and I remember him scoring two goals [from there] so he obviously does have a good 20-25 metre strike in him.”
He added: “It was a good attack and one that I was convinced we would get the ball in behind them and getting people flooding in, but as it happened they defended that really well and we had to come out.”
And 3️⃣ big points! #CRYLEI pic.twitter.com/LiC2xs08FO
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) December 15, 2018
The win comes after back to back away defeats for Crystal Palace, when they lost 3-1 to Brighton and 3-2 to West Ham. Saturday’s result made it two successive home victories for the Eagles, after they beat Burnley 2-0 on 1 December.
Hodgson admitted it wasn’t the best performance from Crystal Palace, but said: “It’s a result that we have to be more than satisfied with. Results that you get when your back is against the wall, you have to be more than satisfied with.”
He added: “The important thing is we’re sitting here tonight with three points in the bag, otherwise we would have found ourselves going into the next two games with far too few points.”
The win comes at a good time for Crystal Palace, as they prepare for a trip to league leaders Manchester City next Saturday. They then return to Selhurst Park, as they host Cardiff City on Boxing Day.
Source: 90min
