Reflecting on that might-of-been moment, the left-back said: “I saw the space in the box and thought: 'just hit it with my right foot' but I didn’t get a very clear connection with it.”
Pope’s save meant that the Clarets held on to their one-goal margin and left south London with the three points. After the defeat, Van Aanholt analysed the performance, he said: “Unfortunately in the first-half, I think, we didn’t create much and we were sloppy at times. In the second-half we picked it up and started pressing them and playing the ball around and started looking more dangerous in the second-half than the first-half.
“We knew they were tough in defence, that they’re hard to break down, they drop and they defend all together.
“We knew our strength would be in the wide areas, but they did very well and had a game plan and stuck to it.”
Without the famous Selhurst Park support, it was always going to be a different experience for the Eagles. However, Van Aanholt wasn’t looking for justifications for the defeat despite missing the Palace support: “No excuses, we are still on the field and we have to do our jobs,” he said. “Today was not our day and we have to move on to Leicester.”
For highlights, press conferences and further post-match reaction, visit Palace TV.
