Endeavour and Dowie's enthusiasm boost Palace

Sheffield United 0 Crystal Palace 3

If Iain Dowie's team talks are anything like his post-match press conferences it is no wonder the Eagles have soared since he became the manager of Crystal Palace.

He bounded in yesterday with infectious enthusiasm that was tempered by a determination not to get carried away by a fourth successive League win. "We have strung a good run of results together but there's a long way to go,'' he said.

"The lads have worked their socks off and been conducive to what I am trying to achieve, but if we get ahead of ourselves we will trip up. Come Monday, we will put this result behind us and push on.'' They deserve to savour it for longer than that. Palace overcame vile weather and one of the First Division's strongest sides on their own turf. The curse that comes with the Manager of the Month Award, which Dowie picked up for January, never got a look in.

Palace's confidence was sky-high. Their right-back, Danny Butterfield, hit a post from 30 yards and forced Paddy Kenny into a back-pedalling save before Andy Johnson grabbed his 17th goal of the season just before the break.

Palace's well organised back four repelled the second-half surge and the pace of Johnson, Julian Gray and Wayne Routledge promised further goals on the break. The first came from the defender Tony Popovic after Kenny flapped at Routledge's cross. Neil Shipperley added the third and the margin of victory would have been greater but for Kenny's late saves.

In the relegation zone before Dowie's arrival, the players are talking of promotion. "There are enough games left for us to get up there, but it's going to be tough,'' Shipperley said.

As for United, they had a bad day at the office. For once their manager, Neil Warnock, had nobody else to blame for his team's defeat, and he didn't try. If Dean Sturridge had converted their best chance after the break, things could have been different. Instead, he shot over and later limped off with a hamstring injury. "You get days like this in management,'' Warnock said. As Dowie will sooner or later discover.

Goals: Johnson 0-1 (42), Popovic 0-2 (57), Shipperley 0-3 (87).

Sheffield United (4-4-2): Kenny; Kozluk, Jagielka, Page, Wright; Shaw (Ndlovu, 56), Montgomerie, McCall (Lester, 76), Tonge; Sturridge (Allison, 53), Peschisolido. Substitutes not used: Whitlow, Robinson.

Crystal Palace (4-4-2): Berthelin; Butterfield, Hudson, Popovic, Granville; Routledge, Riihilahti, Hughes (Derry, 66), Gray; Shipperley, Johnson. Substitutes not used: Freedman, Black, Borrowdale, Leigertwood.

Referee: N Miller (County Durham).

Bookings: Sheffield United: Montgomerie Crystal Palace: Riihilahti, Gray.

Man of the Match: Butterfield.

Attendance: 23,816.