Crystal Palace 0-2 Swansea City
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Tammy Abraham's goal was from Swansea City's first shot on target in the Premier League this season
Crystal Palace manager Frank de Boer said his side need to show more courage after Swansea picked up their first Premier League win of the season with a deserved victory at Selhurst Park.
Tammy Abraham put the away side ahead just before half-time with a low finish after beating Martin Kelly to Leroy Fer's cross, having earlier seen a close-range effort stopped by Wayne Hennessey following Timothy Fosu-Mensah's slip.
Kelly then tamely headed Palace's first effort on target from a corner after the break, before his mistake let Swansea in for their second.
The defender was robbed on the halfway line by Kyle Naughton, whose through ball was finished off by Jordan Ayew.
Yohan Cabaye came off the Palace bench for his first league appearance of the season and might have converted from a one-two with Jason Puncheon had it not been for Mike van der Hoorn's saving challenge, while Andros Townsend shot just wide after Alfie Mawson's sliced clearance with five minutes to go.
Palace have now lost their opening three matches of the Premier League season under new boss Frank de Boer. They have failed to score a single goal, conceding five in two home matches.
Speaking to BBC Sport, De Boer said: "It wasn't until after we were 2-0 down that we showed we really can play.
"It is a very hard lesson for us. We have to show some balls from the first second of the game. If you do not show courage then you get punished," he added.
"In the second half you saw a different Palace - one who creates chances - and with a bit of luck you make one of those. It just wasn't the day for us. Hopefully you will see a different Palace after the international window."
A happy return for Clement
"History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes," Mark Twain, author of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is supposed to have said.
Last November Swansea beat Palace 5-4, with an astonishing seven goals scored after the break.
Both teams went into Saturday's game without a goal from their opening two matches of the new league season, but there was only really one side who looked like providing goals and entertainment.
Swansea's front pair of Abraham and Ayew combined dangerously as early as the fourth minute when Ayew headed wide from Abraham's cross, and the away side controlled the entire first half, dominating possession and opening Palace up on several occasions.
After the break Palace did improve slightly and there were a few errors at the back from defender Mawson, but once Ayew punished the home side for Kelly's mistake, the result never looked in doubt.
Swansea manager Paul Clement watched his side beat Palace at Selhurst Park here in January, on the day he was appointed, and this was certainly a happy return.
Worries for De Boer
After James Tomkins was forced off injured in the first half - he appeared to suffer a muscle injury when striking a shot over the bar - Kelly came on to replace him.
It would be harsh to focus too much on one player in a toothless team performance, but the defender found himself at the heart of two key moments that ultimately may have settled the match.
Defeat is hard lesson for Palace - de Boer
Kelly will rue his missed header, directed straight towards Fabianksi after rising well above the static Mawson at a corner, and moments later the 27-year-old rashly tried to knock the ball past Naughton on the halfway line, a move the Swansea defender easily read.
Ayew was perhaps slightly lucky with his finish - Hennessey rushed out to block with his legs and the rebound fell kindly - but more worrying was the lack of confidence Palace displayed in the few chances they did create when trying to find a way back into the match.
After the game, De Boer spoke of "a lack of courage" from his players, perhaps with the largely anonymous Christian Benteke in mind.
Man of the match - Tammy Abraham (Swansea)
Abraham, 19, scored 23 league goals on loan at Bristol City last season
The Chelsea loanee scored Swansea's first goal of the season and looked a real threat up front in combination with Ayew. He had the strength to hold up play, the invention to find others, and displayed a clinical touch to find the net.
'A positive start'
Swansea boss Paul Clement, speaking to BBC Sport: "It is hard coming away from home in the Premier League, so four points out of two away games is very positive.
Clement please with 'positive' Swansea win
"Tammy Abraham and Jordan Ayew took their goals well, they both scored midweek, it's what you want from the strikers. But our offensive play in the second half needed to be much better. We will not get carried away, we have got to get better and improve.
"We played two games away from home and won four points, our home game was against Manchester United. To also go through in the EFL Cup, we can say it has been a decent start to the season.
"For someone who has only been with us only a couple of days, Sam Clucas has settled in well, we are very happy he is here. We have our eye on a couple of transfer targets, we will try and bring in some quality players to be competitive this year."
A history of bad starts - the stats
Crystal Palace have lost their first three league games of a season for the sixth time in their history and the first time in the top flight.
It is the second time the Eagles have started a campaign by failing to score in their opening three league games of the season (also 2008-09 in the Championship).
Crystal Palace have lost seven of their last eight Premier League matches, failing to score in each defeat.
Abraham's strike was Swansea's first shot on target in the Premier League this season, ending a run of 223 minutes without one.
What's next?
Palace's next match is in the Premier League on Sunday, 10 September when they travel to Burnley (13:30 BST) after the international break.
Swansea next play at home to Newcastle, also on 10 September (16:00).
- Published21 August 2017
- Published20 August 2017
