Leicester vs Crystal: Five things we learned from the Eagles' first away win of the season

Goals from Christian Benteke, Wilfried Zaha and Bakary Sako brought the Eagles a deserved win against a Leicester side who had Wilfred Ndidi sent off for simulation

(Getty)

Crystal Palace pulled off an impressive first away win of the season, beating in-form Leicester City 3-0.

Goals from Christian Benteke, Wilfried Zaha and Bakary Sako brought the Eagles a deserved win against a Leicester side who had Wilfred Ndidi sent off for simulation.

Palace looked bright in attack from the start, and deservedly went ahead on 18 minutes as Benteke ended his goal drought with a smart header from Andros Townsend’s cross. Zaha doubled their lead with a shot into the bottom corner as Palace broke after regaining possession.

The crucial point came on the hour mark, where Vicente Iborra had the ball in the net with a header from Riyad Mahrez’s cross. But the goal was ruled out correctly for a push from the Spanish midfielder, before Ndidi’s penalty-box dive brought the Leicester man a second yellow card and an early bath.

Leicester’s threat never disappeared in attack, but Crystal Palace defended resolutely throughout, and were rewarded with a third in the final minute of injury time. Leicester were left short at the back, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek set up substitute Bakary Sako to add a final flourish to the scoreline with a fine finish.

Here are five things we learned:

Foxes and Eagles deliver a spectacle

It was a superb match of football at the King Power, as always aided by the vibrant atmosphere in the stadium, which never dimmed even with Leicester two goals and a man down. Both sides looked confident in attack, with Leicester unfortunate not to find a way through.

The Foxes kept pushing for a way back into the game even after Ndidi’s sending-off, showing the confidence of a side on a four-match winning run. But Palace too deserved their goals, breaking regularly with pace and invention. An open game which could have seen far more goals, both sides provided a real festive treat for spectators.

Bakary Sako celebrates with Wilfried Zaha after adding Palace's third (Getty)

Puel's changes fail to bring desired effect

Claude Puel made three changes from the side that breezed past Southampton at the weekend, with Marc Albrighton, Demarai Gray and Vicente Iborra all being brought in to the starting XI. The Frenchman’s propensity to tweak with his line-ups has certainly helped foster a climate of competitiveness within the squad but, as seen today, it doesn't always bring the desired effect.

Leicester looked unsettled from the off and lacked the same cohesion that marked their win over Saints. The Foxes have made progress under Puel but it’s also clear to see they’re still in the early teething stages. Indeed, the players need consistent game-time to consolidate their bonds with one another. Sometimes too much change can be disruptive and counter-productive. This was very much the case today.

Benteke hits his stride at last

After fourteen games without a goal this season, and criticism from Roy Hodgson this week after his penalty miss last weekend, Benteke’s relief was clear to see as he opened the scoring for Palace. The big Belgian was a threat all game, setting up Zaha for his goal and repeatedly threatening Kasper Schmeichel in the Leicester City goal. He received a deserved standing ovation from the away fans after coming off late for Bakary Sako.

In general, Palace looked expansive and confident in attack, especially considering their previous problems on the road. With Wilfried Zaha always a threat, Benteke back in form and Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Andros Townsend also dangerous attacking options, Crystal Palace suddenly look like a much more worrying team to defend against.

Benteke beats Kasper Schmeichel to score his first goal of the season (Getty)

Mahrez kept under wraps

Crystal Palace offered a gameplan for teams to stop Riyad Mahrez. It was his loose pass the gave Palace possession in the build-up to Wilfried Zaha, and he was tightly marshalled by former Leicester right-back Jeffrey Schlupp with help from midfield, with James McArthur and Ruben Loftus-Cheek regularly tracking back to deny him space.

Mahrez has been crucial to Leicester’s winning run in recent weeks, with five goals and three assists in his past ten games. But although he looked bright here, Roy Hodgson’s players delivered a textbook defensive display to keep him quiet. The diligence of the midfield in doubling up on the Algerian showed Hodgson’s influence on this side, who he has made into an organised and hard-working defensive unit, as they kept their third consecutive away

Ndidi’s birthday cards are just desserts

This is not how Wilfred Ndidi pictured his 21st birthday, with two yellow cards in the space of fifteen minutes ending his outing early here. But both his cards were fair, in particular the second where he went over acrobatically in the Crystal Palace box with no-one around him.

Wilfred Ndidi is sent off for a second yellow following a blatant dive (Getty)

Referee Martin Atkinson deserves credit for spotting the dive, and in the context of frequent debates over diving and the introduction of retrospective bans, this was a reminder that good refereeing is still the ideal solution to the problem. If yellow cards are regularly delivered to diving players, it will help discourage those trying to con referees without the need for FA disciplinary boards to get involved.