Hodgson on defeat to Arsenal
Roy Hodgson has given his verdict on Crystal Palace’s 5-0 defeat to Arsenal.
The manager said of the source of Arsenal’s first two goals: “Yeah, they were good set-pieces, of course, but if you speak to our players, they're a little bit aggrieved.
"They thought there were infringements for both the goals, but they weren't lucky enough to have those infringements recognised by the referee, so we find ourselves two goals to nil down.
“And then, to compound things, of course, we really give them the goal that really puts the game to bed from one of our set-pieces, from one of our corner kicks. The corner kick wasn't long enough, and from the ball back in, straight into the goalkeeper's arms, a quick counter-attack, and suddenly we're three goals to nil down. That probably affected the hope we might have had of getting back into the game.
“We can make our excuses, which we've been doing because certain things have worked against us during this period of time, but the bottom line is that if we're going to go forward and do well, we need the fans with us.
“Furthermore, our attacking threat, when you lose [Michael] Olise and [Jordan] Ayew at the same time, is obviously blunted. That will change when those two players come back.
“We've been in games, even against the Liverpools and the Chelseas and the Brightons and the Arsenals. Today, we were outplayed, in particular towards the end of the game, but up to that period, I thought the players stuck at their task."