Eze magic puts Palace past the 40-point mark
EBERECHI EZE scored a brilliant individual goal which underlined his extraordinary talent as the Palace star took the hapless Blades to the cleaners.
The summer signing from QPR had already scythed through the United defence to create Christian Benteke’s secondminute opener but there was still time for him to add a delightful late second.
Collecting the ball just inside his own half, the 22-year-old playmaker outfoxed Blades substitute John Lundstram with some neat footwork on the left-hand touchline before advancing menacingly.
He went past Chris Basham and John
Egan before hitting a right-foot shot which deflected off John Fleck and flew past Aaron Ramsdale.
After the Eagles secured a ninth successive season in the Premier League, boss Roy Hodgson said: “This puts us over the 40-point mark and I’m delighted.
“We’ve done it with a group of players who have been very faithful to the club.
“The bulk of them were already here, so there are an awful lot of players whose contribution we’re grateful for.
“Not just the four years in my time in charge but even before that. The club has wanted to invest and help them out, so hopefully that will happen and we will get a boost with some new faces.”
It was perhaps apt that on the day that their rivals Sheffield Wednesday were relegated to League
One, already-doomed United should suffer further pain.
The manner in which Palace were allowed to storm into a second-minute lead said everything about the Blades’ pitiful campaign.
Eze was given the freedom of Bramall Lane to advance inside the right channel, skip past a leaden-footed Egan and cross low into the box.
Benteke was unmarked at the near post and time seemed to stand still as he hit a low right-foot shot which deflected off George Baldock and spun past Ramsdale into the United net.
Hodgson, who is out of contact in the summer, vowed Eze would not be sold after just one season at Selhurst Park.
He added: “We’ve only just signed him – £15million with £5m in add-ons – and it was quite a big investment.
“I’m pretty sure that the club will make sure that any interest is warded off.”
Blades caretakerboss Paul Heckingbottom said: “The fact that we conceded in the first 90 seconds set the game up for Palace.”