Swansea 1-1 Crystal Palace
Sickness in the Swansea camp, vomit on the pitch and a sense of ill-feeling in both dugouts. Garry Monk has had better nights in football and Tony Pulis will fine two of his players for diving.
Swansea City’s head coach was seething as he reviewed a game, or more specifically a single incident, that somehow yielded only one point.
His side appeared to be cantering to a win, having scored a goal of sublime beauty and acquiring 84 per cent of the possession in the first half.
Then came the second half, a bolder approach from Pulis and a penalty that made Monk’s stomach churn.
Chico Flores was sent off for the foul on Glenn Murray, but replays showed it was outside the box. Murray buried the kick after nine months of injury misery and Monk could not hold back.
He said: ‘It was 100 per cent outside the area. Why is the referee (Mike Dean) making the decision from 60 yards away? He hasn’t conferred with his linesman and the linesman isn’t flagging. It’s a bizarre decision.
‘The red card I’m not so sure about, but no doubt about the penalty.’
To think that Palace, having waited until the penalty for a decent chance, then nearly went on to win against 10 men. Jerome Thomas thought he had won a penalty to do just that, but instead he was booked for diving.
Pulis promised to fine him for that and likewise Marouane Chamakh, who went unpunished for a similar act in the first half.
Pulis said: ‘JT has fallen over. He will get fined for that. Chamakh will as well. Over the past couple of years the game has cleaned that up. He has been to see the referee and apologised. We won’t have that at the football club.’
But he might still have Premier League football next season. Pulis has now acquired 20 points in 15 games, which in the context of a team team that looked doomed in November takes some doing.
It helped that he was sending his men out against a side playing their seventh game in 22 days. The fatigue was obvious from the moment Ashley Williams threw up on the pitch.
‘There has been sickness in the camp for a couple of days,’ Monk said.
That might continue after this one got away, with Swansea leading after 25 minutes through a goal of some beauty.
As so often Leon Britton was central to the move that also included Williams and Wilfried Bony. Jonathan De Guzman finished it off.
But Palace are a stubborn side these days. Only nine conceded in nine game coming in was a decent return for a side in the bottom five, but they struggle pitifully at the other end when they play away from Selhurst Park.
That pattern was continuing here until Murray had his moment.
His 31 goals in all competitions was a highlight in a great 2012-13 season for Palace; his cruciate ligament injury in the play-offs a great injustice.
Here, he came on for Ince at half-time and saved the day, winning the penalty and securing the draw.
Monk said: ‘We feel sick.’
—Daily Mail