Frank de Boer suffers a huge disappointment again this season, as his side are yet to register a point after four games. Crystal Palace lost to a disciplined Burnley side at and the manager faces a tough task ahead of him. The Eagles looked wasteful in front of the goal in the match and Burnley’s compact defence meant Palace once again failed to score.
Here, are our player ratings for the Crystal Palace:
Formation- 4-3-3
GK: Wayne Hennessey- 3/10
Wayne Hennessey made the error by coming out of the box to make an attempt to save. Even after Chung-Yong’s sloppy back-pass, Hennessey could have stayed inside his area. But you can’t really blame the keeper for a horrendous back pass which gifted the goal.
RB: Joel Ward- 5.5/10
The right back looked uncomfortable at times when Burnley played well through the flanks. He tried his best by making some good runs down the flank in the second half but did not deliver consistent crosses. Ward did churn out an accurate cross in the dying minutes of the game but Scott Dann was unable to put the ball in the back of the net.
CB: Timothy Fosu-Mensah-6/10
It can be argued that Fosu-Mensah could have come to his position quicker for Wood’s goal but the inexperienced defender did have a decent game. Out of all the Palace defenders, he was the only calm headed, assured player who gave de Boer some sense of relief. However, it is still baffling that de Boer is not playing the Dutchman in his original wingback position. With his searing pace and good crossing abilities, he can add some teeth to Palace’s attack.
CB: Scott Dann-5/10
Surprisingly, Scott Dann looked Palace’s best bet to score a goal for the majority of the match. With a bit of precision, Dann could have scored a brace in the game. His inability to head the ball in the 88th minute meant that Palace lost another game this season. Defensively, he had little to do after Chris Wood’s goal as Burnley decided to sit back and defend.
LB: Jeffrey Schulpp-4.5/10
Schlupp looked troubled with the pace on the flanks by Burnley. He tried to link up with the midfielders and Chung-Yong but remained unsuccessful. He even had the chance to score early in the second half, but like his other teammates, he too failed to get his name on the score sheet.
CM: James McArthur- 6/10
The Scotsman anchored the play from the midfield and tried to initiate attacks from the centre of the park. His wayward header off a corner by Yohan Cabaye was another disappointing moment.
CM: Jason Puncheon- 4/10
The captain looked lost for the majority of the game. He did little to influence the attacks. His long-balls met Benteke but he wasn’t able to penetrate Burnley’s defence consistently enough.
CM: Yohan Cabaye- 7/10
The French international was one of the few players who looked eager to make something happen from the deeper midfield. He ran tirelessly throughout the midfield and did everything possible to grab a goal for the team. Cabaye was a constant threat from set pieces and his superb long-range effort was saved in the 88th minute. The veteran will remain the fulcrum and an integral part of Palace’s midfield this season.
RW: Andros Townsend-7.5/10
The right winger tried his best to score a goal or even assist one but Burnley’s neat defending meant that he went off the game empty-handed. Townsend’s dribbling was amazing as he went past defenders quickly and delivered some quality crosses into the box. The wily winger will remain crucial to Palace’s prospects for the season.
LW: Lee Chung-Yong-3/10
The South Korean’s huge error led to the only goal of the match. His sloppy pass was easily intercepted by and led to Chris Wood’s goal. Offensively too, he did not make any impact on the pitch
ST: Christian Benteke-5/10
Benteke endured a frustrating game, as he did not manage to score despite numerous chances created by Cabaye and Townsend. The former Liverpool man was booked after he brought James Tarkowski down in the 78th minute. He missed the best chance of the match in the 77th minute after linking up well with Townsend but the effort was well saved by Nick Pope.
Substitutes
Levi Lumeka-4/10
The Englishman came in for Chung-Yong in the 65th minute to bring some cutting edge to the attack. However, the youngster looked short of ideas for most of the time and hardly made his presence felt.
Jairo Riedewald- N.A
The former Ajax man came in to force a result but did not make an impact during his short stay.
