Palace thrash Leeds to boost survival bid
Crystal Palace boosted their bid for Premier League survival with a 5-1 demolition of relegation rivals Leeds on Sunday. Roy Hodgson's side erased Patrick Bamford's first half opener with a superb display of counter-attacking at Elland Road. Marc Guehi equalised just before the break and Palace turned on the style after half-time with emphatic finishes from Jordan Ayew, who netted twice, Eberechi Eze and Odsonne Edouard. Palace's first win at Elland Road since 2006 lifted them six points clear of the relegation zone, while Leeds remain just two points adrift of the bottom three. The south Londoners were without a win in 2023 before Hodgson replaced the sacked Patrick Vieira until the end of the season. Palace had gone three games without mustering a single shot on target in the final days of Vieira's reign, but their biggest league win since 2020 showed Hodgson has already made a major impact. Hodgson, in his second spell as Palace boss, had inspired an important 2-1 win against fellow strugglers Leicester in his first match and his second game was even more impressive. (AFP)