SHEFFIELD, England (AP) – Odsonne Edouard´s goal early in the second half earned Crystal Palace a 1-0 opening win at Sheffield United in the Premier League on Saturday to worsen the gloom at Bramall Lane.
Edouard struck from close range four minutes after the restart in a game that Palace largely dominated. Jordan Ayew found a good position on the right-hand side and sent in a tricky low cross which Edouard stabbed in from close range.
Roy Hodgson´s Palace had two further goals disallowed, while Blades goalkeeper Wes Foderingham made a number of saves to keep his side in the game.
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Sheffield United´s return to the top flight after two seasons away ended with a poor defeat to compound a negative few weeks which saw the sale of Iliman Ndiaye and Sander Berge. Manager Paul Heckingbottom acknowledged before the match that his team is “nowhere near” where they need to be, though the signing of Gustavo Hamer from Coventry overnight had boosted the mood.
Roy Hodgson praised ‘outstanding’ debutant Jefferson Lerma after the Crystal Palace midfielder starred in an opening day victory over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.
“He was outstanding – outstanding,” Hodgson said in his post-match press conference. “He is an outstanding player, really good.
“He was everywhere – all over the field. Defensively he was excellent, and he also had a really good game going forwards. He must have been really happy with his debut and his day’s work.
“We were impressed with him in the two matches in the United States as well, but this is his first real game for Crystal Palace in the Premier League and he came out of it with flying colours.”
Hodgson also reserved praise for goalscorer Odsonne Edouard, whose close-range finish earned the Eagles all three points.
“He should take confidence,” Hodgson said of the centre-forward. “His performance throughout the game was really good in every respect. He held the ball up well and he was a target for us when we wanted to play the ball forward.
“He had a very good game. Now he has scored a goal – and he may say two goals if he wants to contest the offside! It was a good move, I thought, and a good finish. I was disappointed to see it being chalked off.
“When you are working with a player every day like we do we are constantly telling them what we expect from them. We are constantly telling them how to become better as individuals and what you would like to see from them to help the team out with the quality they have.
“We have been looking for what we saw today since that first day back in March.”
Overall, Hodgson was pleased with his side’s performance in an often febrile atmosphere at Bramall Lane.
“I’m happy with the start and happy with the points,” he said. “Happy whenever you can come to Bramall Lane and take points – especially with a team celebrating a return to the Premier League.
“We knew we were in for a tough game in every respect. I thought we handled the situation well.”
