Roy Hodgson’s side rode their luck as they picked up a vital point against a high-flying but weakened Leicester side.
Crystal Palace:
Victor Guaita 7
Embed from Getty ImagesVery little to do for the Spaniard today outside of the penalty that he comfortably saved at a crucial point in the game where Leicester were on top. In doing so he has earned Palace a point where it looked like they were going to get anything but. There wasn’t much more he could have done for the goal he conceded, being unsighted and the ball travelling through multiple bodies.
Nathaniel Clyne 5
Embed from Getty ImagesLike much of Palace’s games this season, Clyne was forced to play very narrow and had very little freedom to go forward. He did a relatively good job dealing with Harvey Barnes and George Thomas but was dragged out of position a few times by the inverted runs of Thomas and not knowing who to track. But considering what Hodgson asks of his fullbacks, which is essentially to not make mistakes defensively, you could say he did that to a certain degree.
James Tomkins 4
Embed from Getty ImagesTomkins was very lucky that Leicester missed the penalty he conceded, if they did score then would of received a lower rating. The penalty he gave away was such an elementary error and had it not been for Kelechi Iheanacho’s less than convincing penalty, we may have seen a collapse that has become all too common recently.
Cheikhou Kouyate 5
Embed from Getty ImagesIheanacho’s runs in behind the defence gave him some trouble early on in this fixture but once Kouyate had settled he put in a solid performance, making numerous defensive headers and very few errors.
Tyrick Mitchell 4
Embed from Getty ImagesMuch like Clyne, Hodgson does really shackle his full-backs so Mitchell didn’t have many opportunities to surge into Leicester’s half. He was also very much the target of The Foxes attack, with James Justin causing him a lot of difficulties and crafting some very good chances that should have been taken.
Luka Milivojevic 7
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Palace captain was by far one of their best players. He broke down many of Leicester’s attacks, especially in the second half, and although wasn’t given many opportunities to do so, was able to start a few counter attacks.
Jairo Riedewald 6
Embed from Getty ImagesSimilar to his midfield partner, Riedewald protected the back four well and allowed the wide players to break quickly and be expansive with the ball. Due to his limited capability on the ball, Riedewald he was replaced in the second half for the more progressive James McArthur.
Jeffrey Schlupp 7
Embed from Getty ImagesThe former Leicester man was one of Palace’s few bright sparks and showed good attacking intent down the left, whilst also giving Mitchell a lot of defensive cover. His surging runs were one of the reasons for his sides early dominance in the second half.
Andros Townsend 6
Embed from Getty ImagesHis assist for the goal was the only real attacking contribution Townsend made due to his defensive duties but it was a well-rounded performance by the winger.
Wilfred Zaha 8
Embed from Getty ImagesNot only was his goal excellently taken, Zaha completely galvanised his side after the break and was the catalyst in taking the game to Leicester. His link-up play was also superb despite being fairly quiet in the first 45.
Christian Benteke 3
Embed from Getty ImagesA very slow day at the office for the big Belgian front man. Benteke lost most, if not all, his aerial battles and his hold up play was poor. Not a good showing.
Substitutes:
James McArthur 5
Brought on to hold on to the point, McArthur had very little time to make an impact.
Jordan Ayew 5
Next to no time given to make any contribution to the game, therefore a default five is given.
Leicester City:
Kasper Schmeichel 5
Embed from Getty ImagesLeicester’s captain had a quiet night between the sticks with his side dominating much of the ball. His distribution was good but when goalkeeping attributes were called upon he just wasn’t up to it, allowing Zaha’s volley to sneak in at the near post.
James Justin 7
Embed from Getty ImagesA game of two halves for one of this seasons breakout players. The Englishman had an excellent first half but a fairly mediocre second half, especially defensively. He kept Zaha very quiet in the first period even when the winger did have him isolated. He was also the main outlet for Leicester’s attacks throughout the contest, exploiting Palace’s narrow defensive shape. All in all, it was another good outing for the full back.
Jonny Evans 7
Embed from Getty ImagesHaving only played 48 hours earlier, Evans showed no sign of fatigue nor drop off in quality on the ball or aerially. He matched Benteke physically and his distribution, specifically his switches of play out too Justin, were exceptional. The former Manchester United defender initiated plenty of attacks and also helped an uneasy looking Daniel Amartey slip back into defence.
Daniel Amartey 6
Embed from Getty ImagesThis was the Ghanaian’s first start in a back-four this season and as whole produced a fairly competent display despite looking quite uncomfortable early on. There were a few occasions where he could of been quicker to cover the full back but no major errors were made and it was a solid comeback.
Luke Thomas 6
Embed from Getty ImagesThe youngster has been very bright this season and was brilliant for most of the first half, thriving in his inverted fullback role. The overlapping runs and high-press demanded of the role actually resulted him winning the penalty. He found himself unable to venture forward as much in the second half but was still solid defensively and thus acquiring himself an admirable six.
Namplys Mendy 6
Embed from Getty ImagesWith Wilfred Ndidi rested, Mendy did step up. He was efficient on the ball and provided sufficient protections for the defence. All round a solid performance.
Hamza Choudhury 6
Embed from Getty ImagesA fairly good first half performance from the holding midfielder, he showed excellent to win the ball back quickly and was a big reason for Leicester’s first half dominance. Choudhury also displayed composure on the ball being efficient with his distribution, albeit not very expansive in the process. Like the rest of the Leicester team, he came out very sluggish in the second half and was subbed, but that shouldn’t take away from a solid performance.
Dennis Praet 4
Embed from Getty ImagesNot the most effective performance from a player who showed improvement at the start of this campaign. Being quite frank, Praet had little to no impact in Leicester’s passages of play and mass control of the ball in the first period. The Belgian was involved in some of their attacks down the right flank but looked like he was very much going through the motions. He also missed a very good chance in the first half which he should have at least hit the target. Praet was subbed immediately after the Palace goal.
Ayoze Perez 6
Embed from Getty ImagesMissing a good chance with the last kick of the game summed up Perez’ performance well, it was very much a ‘nearly’ display. Every pass was either a few inches too short or just wide of their target. However, he did lead the press very well and won the ball back countless times off of the opposing wingers.
Harvey Barnes 8
Embed from Getty ImagesWithout question the man of the match, Barnes built on his performance against Manchester United on Boxing Day. He linked up very well in the first half with Thomas and caused Clyne a lot of issues. His work defensively did not go missed either, he provided Thomas cover during the brief spell in the second half where Palace were on top and had Leicester pinned into their own half. Barnes showed great intent every time he had the ball in the opponent’s final third, thus leading to his expertly taken equaliser similar to his goal just two days earlier.
Kelechi Iheanacho 4
Embed from Getty ImagesIt was very evident that the front man hadn’t started a league game since October, with a very valid argument there to be made that the Nigerian cost Leicester all three points. Missing the penalty in manner in which he did, and also completely miscuing his free header inside the six yard box, it can only be described as not a good day at the office for the striker.
Substitutes:
Youri Tielemans 6
The Belgian maestro has been one of Leicester’s best players this season and, despite not featuring as much as Leicester fans would have liked, he made his impact on the match. As soon as he entered the fray Tielemans dictated the tempo of the game and managed to break the Palace press that gave The Foxes trouble in first half. He played numerous top quality passes and was very solid defensively.
Jamie Vardy 5
Leicester’s main man found himself in the unusual position of having to start on the bench due to the congested festive fixture list. Vardy, who doesn’t need much of an opportunity to impact a game, had next to no service while he was on the pitch. Despite some of his link up play being of its usual high calibre, although just wasn’t able to have much of an effect on the outcome of the game.
Demari Gray 3
Making his first league appearance this season having being relegated to the under 23s, Gray yet again failed to impress. Gray seemed frightened to take on his opposing full back and even when he tried he looked out of ideas. His very lacklustre performance was summed up by a high and wide free kick attempt with Leicester still chasing the game at that point.
