Having lined up in a team that created 31 goal attempts, Townsend was disappointed after the match and expressed his vexation with the result.
He said, "It was very frustrating, we created a lot of chances as the stats show. But we couldn't put one away. If we want to start climbing the table, we have to be more clinical like we were last week. I'm sorry we weren't today and that we didn't get the three points we deserved."
Asked how it felt to watch so many efforts yield nothing, the winger explained how the team regarded the match but, overall, stated that he was pleased with the side's general performance, even if they did struggle to find the back of the net.
"Initially," he reflected, "you think it's going to be one of those days. But the amount of chances we were creating, we knew until the last minute that we were going to get another one, and another one and we did but, unfortunately, not one went in. Luka's hit the post, I hit the bar and probably should have done better, Connor's [Wickham] had a couple, Wilf's [Zaha] had a couple. It's just one of those days where we have to dust ourselves down and move on.
"In the past, we've had problems with following up good performances with other good performances but the performance was there today, we weren't complacent, we knew it was going to be just as difficult as the City game and it turned out to be that way."
But the 27-year-old also took a moment to turn his attention from the match that had just passed to the matches that are shortly following it. Looking ahead to the Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers fixtures either side of the New Year, Townsend said, "We've come to win the game and the fans were fantastic. But we have to move on and the good thing about the Christmas period is that the games come thick and fast and we've not got time to get too complacent after a win or too down after a draw or loss. We'll move forward."
For the rest of the post-match reaction, including interviews, Roy Hodgson's post-match press conference and highlights from midnight, head over to Palace TV now. Or, if you're reading in the app, just click 'Palace TV'.