Odsonne Edouard called Crystal Palace’s 1-0 win over Southampton “a strange game” after the south Londoners dominated the first-half before having to defend in numbers throughout the second.
Vicente Guaita was called into action as the game wore on after Edouard took the lead in the 38th-minute.
Reflecting on the match with the media, Edouard said: “It was a strange game because we started well in the first-half and managed to score but the second-half was more difficult. Southampton pushed a lot but at the end we win the game.
“I think deserved the win because we managed to score first, managed to keep a clean sheet and so we deserved the win.”
Asked what changed from the first-half to the second, Edouard stressed that Southampton’s determination made the afternoon tougher for Palace.
“I think if we managed to score the second goal we’d make the game more easy but sometimes it’s like this when you score one. You have to stay solid, stay compact collectively and at the end we got a clean sheet and won the game. It was important today.
“When you’re losing 1-0 you do anything to come back, you push hard. Like I said we stayed solid collectively and defensively.”
Finally, Palace’s first-team now won’t return to Selhurst until Boxing Day, with the World Cup foisting a near-two-month break onto the Premier League.
Palace managed to end on a high, with Edouard saying: “It’s very, very long! For this it was important to win today in front of the fans because the next game is in two months, so it was important to win today.”
