LONDON: Eberechi Eze’s fine late winner gave Crystal Palace a 2-1 comeback win over Leeds United in the Premier League on Sunday.
The visitors took an early lead through Pascal Struijk and were the first to react after Brenden Aaronson’s stunning run and shot ricocheted off the post.
Leeds striker Patrick Bamford, playing his first game since August, missed a great opportunity to double the visitors’ lead, a waste that proved costly when Palace equalized through Odsonne Edouard’s header in the 24th minute.
Palace were the much better side in the second half but struggled to beat a resolute Leeds until Eze picked the ball up on the edge of the area, threw a dummy and netted a winner in the 76th minute.
Eze’s first goal of the season resulted in four goals against Yorkshire clubs – 67 per cent of his entire Premier League career.
The away side progressed but were unable to equalize their pressure and Palace climbed out of the relegation zone and climbed to 15th in the table, level on nine points with Leeds a place above.
“It’s a good win and we needed this win,” Palace manager Patrick Vieira told Sky Sports. “It wasn’t pretty but we needed different ingredients from the last couple of games.
“We worked hard and rolled up our sleeves and in the end we got the goal, which is good for us. We didn’t get what we deserved in the last couple of games, but today was a good win for us.”
The defeat meant more points lost in a game as Leeds took the lead. Since the start of last season, only Leicester City have lost more points from winning positions than Leeds away from home in the Premier League.
“The first half was one of the best 45 minutes we’ve had since I’ve been here,” said Leeds manager Jesse Marsch. “The 1-1 at half-time was a shame.
“Overall it’s a step in the right direction for me. Of course we need to get results along the way, but we’re doing well. We just have to keep going.”