November 20 2010

James Vaughan

Crystal Palace agonisingly lost 3-2 to Sheffield United in front of the TV cameras at Bramall Lane.

George Burley was forced to make one change from the side which beat Coventry last week, with Alessane N'Diaye coming in for the injured Darren Ambrose.

United enjoyed the majority of possession early in the game but Palace took the lead on 18 minutes when referee Anthony Taylor awarded them a penalty after Neil Danns went over in the box after a shove by Jean Calve.

Danns picked himself up and struck home the spot kick to give Palace the lead.

The Blades struck back on 37 minutes when referee Taylor shockingly awarded them a penalty for an alleged foul by Nathaniel Clyne on Ched Evans.

Worse was to come after Owen Garvan decided to say too many harsh words to the inept official for giving the decision in favour of United, and received a yellow card shortly followed by a straight red for his protests.

Richard Cresswell buried the penalty past Julian Speroni, and the sides went into the half time break all level.

The Blades were determined to make the numerical advantage count after the break, and Speroni was on hand to deny Cresswell a second goal with a brilliant block from the striker's header.

Shortly after Palace broke on the counter and Wilfried Zaha fed Clyne on the right wing, and he provided the perfect cross for James Vaughan to nod past Steven Simonsen in the United goal to give the Eagles a 2-1 lead.

Speroni continued to be Palace's hero with another outstanding stop from a volley by Mark Yeates which was tipped onto the post, but it was all to be in vain for Palace as the Blades struck twice in the last five minutes of the match.

Andy Reid's cross on 85 minutes was nodded towards goal by Kyle Bartley - Speroni managed to direct it onto the crossbar but Evans who was offside, hooked the ball past the Argentinian to make it 2-2.

Two minutes later the Blades were ahead for the first and final time of the game when Claude Davis needlessly challenged Daniel Bogdanovic in the box, and the striker scored from the spot.

Bogdanovic was shown a straight red in the final minutes for a studs showing tackle on Clyne, but it didn't affect the outcome of the game, and a bitterly disappointing defeat for George Burley's men.

Palace: Speroni, Wright, McCarthy (O'Keefe, 51 (Counago, 89)) , Davis, Clyne, Danns, Garvan(sent off 37), Marrow, N'Diaye, Vaughan, Zaha

Subs not used: Price, Dorman, Djilali, Obika, Cadogan

Sheff Utd: Simonsen, Jordan, Calve (Lowton, 81 ) , Nosworthy, Bartley, Yeates, Britton, Montgomery, Reid, Cresswell (Bogdanovic, 66 (sent off 90) ) , Evans

Subs not used: Wright, Kozluk, Taylor, Quinn, Ertl

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