Roy Hodgson admitted that he was forced into his gameplan to keep things tight right until the end against Chelsea due to the Blues’ dominance in possession during their 1-0 win at Selhurst Park.
The Eagles boss saw his side fall to defeat thanks to N’Golo Kante’s second half strike, but having escaped from their woodwork being rattled twice and Olivier Giroud having two goals chalked off, Palace remained in contention to get a point against the odds right until the death when late chances for Wilfried Zaha and Connor Wickham went begging.
Hodgson believed that having seen his side struggle to gain possession and create chances when they did, his plan to stay in the contest and spring a late surprise was the better option than a gung-ho approach.