Crystal Palace 3-1 West Bromwich Albion: 5 Key Things We Learnt

3. Chamakh Is Key To Palace

A large part of the Crystal Palace set-up, both metaphorically and physically, was Marouane Chamakh, who put in a great performance and scored a vital goal from the spot in the second half. Throughout the game, the Moroccan was instrumental as he won key headers, initiated attacking moves and was a real pain for the Baggies defenders, and it is no overstatement to say that Chamakh was probably the key part in Tony Pulis' side emerging with all three points on Saturday. It's credit to the striker who is enjoying a successful time after leaving Arsenal in the Summer. At the Emirates he was poor and frustrating but he's adjusted to the move well, and he's now looking like a completely different player, and closer to the talent that Arsene Wenger recognised as a good choice for his squad. The main difference is how he's being used - he didn't fit into the Arsenal set-up and style of play, so it was never going to work out for him in North London, but at Palace, they play to his strengths and benefit from his integration. Chamakh will be a key figure in Crystal Palace's battle to avoid the drop to the second tier of English football, as long as he stays on form.