Christian Benteke and Eberechi Eze scored at opposite ends of the afternoon as Crystal Palace overcame Sheffield United 0-2 at Bramall Lane to secure mathematical safety and a ninth successive season of Premier League football.
Summary
- Roy Hodgson makes two changes from the side which kicked-off against Manchester City, bringing Gary Cahill and Jeffrey Schlupp in
- Christian Benteke puts Palace ahead within two minutes as his shot is heavily deflected past Aaron Ramsdale
- The Eagles sustain their pressure without seriously troubling the Blades’ backline
- Ramsdale makes a reflex stop to deny Benteke shortly before half-time
- Half-time: Sheffield United 0-1 Crystal Palace
- Benteke hits the post shortly before the hour mark and later sees a similar effort blocked by the home defence
- The second-half is similarly quiet to the first, with United showing somewhat more attacking threat
- Chris Basham hits over the bar early in the second-half and catches the side netting 20 minutes later
- Andros Townsend shoots narrowly wide from the far-right corner of the box before Jordan Ayew’s close-range effort is deflected over
- Eze bags a sensational goal that mirrored his endless run against the Blades at Selhurst
- Full-time: Sheffield United 0-2 Crystal Palace
Barely a minute after kicking-off at Bramall Lane, Eberechi Eze collected the ball in midfield and began to make the sort of mazy dribble forward that saw him score against the Blades months earlier at Selhurst Park.