Niang almost equalises in the final minute! A thumping pass forward from Cathcart is fumbled by Hennessey and falls to Niang, but, under pressure from a sea of Palace players, the Frenchman is unable to fire his first-time volley into the back of the net and instead sends the strike over the top of the crossbar.
90' +3
Poor from Benteke! Once again, the Belgian is presented with a great chance to wrap up the win for Palace from the edge of the penalty area after breaking away quickly, but he looks completely bereft of confidence and is dispossessed before he's able to do so.
90' +1
Big chance for Success! A lofted pass is fired up towards the edge of the Palace box and finds Niang, who does well to bring the ball down and set up Success. The Nigerian is in a good position over on the left and should really shoot, but he instead tries to skip past Dann and loses out to the centre-back.
90'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be four minutes of added time.
89'
Sako eventually steps up and curls a dangerous cross towards the near post, but Kaboul does really well to rise high and head the ball away from danger before it can find Benteke in front of goal.
88'
Sako is pulled back by Britos as the two battle for the ball deep down the right flank, resulting in a free-kick for Palace. Understandably, the home side take their time with the set-piece as they try to run down the clock.
87'
B. Sako enters the game and replaces Y. Cabaye.
D. Delaney enters the game and replaces A. Townsend.
Meanwhile, Cabaye has made way for Bakary Sako.
It looks as if Palace are going to operate with five at the back as they try to hold on to their slender lead. As a result, Damien Delaney has come on to replace Townsend.
85'
What a chance for Cabaye to make it 2-0! Townsend curls a lovely cross in from the right wing that finds Zaha, but the latter's first-time shot is smothered and rolls out to Cabaye. The Frenchman then tries to find the bottom left-hand corner of the net with a thumping strike, but it sails just wide of the far post after beating Hennessey.
84'
Palace have been struggling with long throws all day, and once again Britos causes problems for them. The Uruguayan launches the ball into the middle of the box, where it pinballs around dangerously, but just as it looks as if Doucoure is going to be able to get a shot away from close range, Sakho dispossesses him with an excellent tackle.
83'
S. Dann enters the game and replaces J. Tomkins.
Tomkins seems to have picked up an injury, so he has to limp off the pitch to be replaced by Scott Dann.
Minute
Description
82'
Poor play by Benteke! The Belgian is presented with another great opportunity to double his side's lead, but his first touch in front of goal is far too heavy and allows Kaboul to easily blast the ball away from danger. He really should have hit the ball first time!
81'
Benteke picks up the ball just inside the Watford half of the pitch and immediately charges forward on a brilliant run. He easily out-muscles Britos before shooting from 25 yards out, but his effort is completely mishit and sails well wide of its intended target.
80'
Watford have made their final change of the day as they try to find a way back into the game, with Cleverley making way for Isaac Success.
79'
I. Success enters the game and replaces T. Cleverley.
78'
Niang manages to whip a bouncing cross into the middle of the Palace penalty area, but Sakho does well to nod it away from danger. Watford come back quickly, however, with Cathcart then firing a lofted pass back towards the French forward, but he's unable to keep the ball in play and the hosts are awarded a goal-kick.
76'
Great stop by Hennessey! Palace fall asleep slightly and allow Doucoure to unleash a bouncing shot from the left flank. It initially catches out Hennessey and looks set to find the back of the net, but the Welshman sticks out a hand to tip it away with a cracking diving save.
74'
Amrabat, who has looked quiet since coming off the substitutes' bench, is presented with his first opportunity to break forward after picking up the ball over on the right wing. He then tries to pick out Deeney with a chipped pass, but it's easily cut out by Tomkins on the edge of the box.
72'
Townsend causes more problems down the right flank as he tries to sprint past Britos, but the Uruguayan, who has defended really well today, gets the better of the Palace man and easily manages to shepherd the ball out for a throw-in.
70'
Things are hotting up! Cleverley, who has been in bad mood all afternoon, reacts angrily to Cabaye after claiming that the Frenchman stamped on his foot, resulting in the referee having to give the two of them a stern talking to.
68'
T. Deeney is unfortunate, scores an own goal!
GOAL! Deeney has put it into the back of his own net! A Palace free-kick is swung into the Watford box and should be easily dealt with by the captain at the near post, but, somehow, he ends up heading the ball off the woodwork and past Gomes. Comical defending from the striker!
66'
S. Prödl gets yellow.
An attempted Watford attacking move is brought to an end by a superb sliding tackle from Milivojevic, and the home side quickly break forward on a counter-attack. Zaha sprints down the left wing and tries to find a way past Prodl, but the defender cynically shoulder-barges him off the ball and picks up a yellow card.
65'
Great chance for Zaha! Townsend does really well to get down the right flank on a wonderful run. He skips past two players before picking out Zaha at the far post, but, after rounding Cathcart, the number 11 can only blast his shot just wide of the near post.
63'
N. Amrabat enters the game and replaces D. Janmaat.
Watford have made their second alteration of the game, with the recently returned Nordin Amrabat coming on to take the place of Janmaat.
61'
A clumsy handball by Townsend results in a free-kick for Britos, which the Uruguayan fires up towards the edge of the Palace penalty area. Deeney does well to rise high and meet the ball before trying to nod it down to Janmaat, but the Dutchman is quickly closed down and dispossessed.
59'
Benteke charges into the Watford penalty area as he tries to latch on to a lofted pass forward, but he's well marshalled by Kaboul, who out-muscles the striker in front of goal and makes sure that the ball sails straight into the hands of Heurelho Gomes.
57'
A long throw-in from Britos is flung into the Palace box and causes a few problems for the home side. Tomkins is just about able to get a head on the ball but can only nod it down towards Deeney, but the captain is beaten to it at the vital moment and is unable to get a shot away.
55'
Once again, Cabaye's curling cross into the heart of the penalty area is a good one and finds Benteke in front of goal, but, under pressure from a group of defenders, the big Belgian is unable to guide his attempted header towards goal and loses out at the vital moment.
54'
Sakho sends a clever pass over to the left wing, where it finds Schlupp in a promising position. He's unable to do anything with it though, and sends a deflected cross off a white shirt and back to Zaha. The winger then pulls off a series of stepovers before earning his side a corner.
52'
The lofted pass is flung up towards the edge of the Watford penalty area and finds Benteke in a good position in front of goal, but as soon as the striker brings down the ball with his chest, he's penalised for a pull on Prodl. He doesn't seem at all pleased with the referee's decision, but the man in charge isn't interested in listening to his protests.
50'
Watford patiently pass the ball around deep inside the Palace half of the pitch before Janmaat cuts inside from the right wing. He does well to beat two players before taking on Milovojevic, but the Serbian stands tall and out-muscles the Dutchman on the edge of the box.
48'
Capoue picks up the ball midway inside the Palace half of the pitch and quickly ploughs his way towards the penalty area. He does well to create a bit of space for himself before shooting, but his effort is far too powerful and sails comfortably over the top of the crossbar.
47'
Cabaye is quickly presented with a good opportunity to spin and shoot on the edge of the Watford penalty area, but he doesn't seem to realise just how much space he's in and instead pokes a pass over to a team-mate that doesn't exist.
46'
A. Doucouré enters the game and replaces V. Behrami.
Watford have made one substitution during the half-time break, with, unsurprisingly, Behrami making way for Abdoulaye Doucoure.
We're underway once again!
45' +1
There's another coming together between both sets of players as the game starts to become a slightly niggly affair. Behrami seems to have picked up a hamstring injury and wants Palace to put the ball out of play, but they refuse to do so. There's then a shouting match between the Swiss, Puncheon and Kaboul, but the referee brings it to an end by blowing his whistle for half-time.
45'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be just one minute of added time.
44'
Thumping strike by Valon Behrami! A looping cross from the left wing finds Janmaat over on the right-hand side of the Palace box, and he quickly nods the ball down to Behrami. The Switzerland international is in a great position on the edge of the penalty area and quickly unleashes a rocket of a volley, but it's slightly too powerful and ends up flying a few yards over the top of the crossbar.
42'
Watford push forward on one of their first attacks in over 10 minutes, but it's brought to an end after a coming together between Cleverley and Cabaye just outside of the Palace penalty area. The Watford midfielder seemed to strike the Frenchman in the stomach, but the referee didn't see anything and instead has a stern word with the duo.
40'
Palace are awarded yet another free-kick, this time for a poor challenge from behind by Niang on Ward. Once again, it's Cabaye who curls a cross into the box, where it's deflected down to Zaha, and the winger then fires his first-time half-volley comfortably wide of the goal.
39'
Vital interception by Britos! The resulting free-kick initially fails to result in a chance on goal before another dangerous cross is chipped into the heart of the penalty area. It looks set to find Sakho in front of goal, but Britos rises high to deny the defender a header from a few yards out.
38'
T. Cleverley gets yellow.
Zaha causes plenty of problems over on the left wing once again as he tries to skip past Cathcart, but Cleverley ends up catching him with a high and dangerous challenge that earns him the first yellow card of the game.
36'
Cabaye steps up and swings a cross into the six-yard box and towards a group of Palace players, but, once again, Watford are just about to deal with the danger under intense pressure from the determined home side.
35'
Great opportunity for Cabaye! The ball pinballs around the edge of the Watford box before Jason Puncheon does well to set up Zaha over on the left flank. The winger dances his way into the penalty area and fizzes a dangerous pass across the face of goal, but Kaboul is there to send it away with a low diving header. It bounces straight to Cabaye, however, and the Frenchman then fires a deflected shot just wide of the near post.
33'
A dangerous cross from Niang curls towards Deeney before being cut out by Tomkins, who can only send his headed clearance out to Cleverley. The midfielder takes a quick touch before swinging a lofted pass over to Janmaat, but the Dutchman misreads the flight of the ball and allows it to bounce out for a throw-in.
31'
Britos climbs all over the back of Benteke and concedes a free-kick in a dangerous position midway inside the Watford half of the pitch. Cabaye steps up and curls a cross into the visitors' penalty area, where Deeney does well to get a head on the ball to stop Tomkins from reaching it.
29'
Townsend gets himself into a good position deep down the right flank once again as he tries to skip past Britos. He's unable to and instead attempts to play a quick one-two with Ward, but there's a breakdown in communication between the pair and the ball ends up rolling out for a Watford goal-kick.
27'
Townsend is really struggling to make an impact over on the right flank. Mazzarri's decision to name four centre-backs in the Watford defence has so far proven to be a good one, as Cathcart and Britos are defending really well against Zaha and Townsend when Palace try to break away quickly.
25'
Benteke is penalised for an accidental handball, resulting in a free-kick for Watford just inside the Palace half of the pitch. It's fired towards the box by Tom Cleverley and is knocked down by Deeney, but the home side are just about able to clear the danger before any Watford player can get a shot away.
23'
After a slightly slow start to the game, Watford are starting to come into the contest as they cause problems for the Palace back line. Deeney is doing well to hold up the ball and bring in Etienne Capoue, who has looked dangerous in advanced positions.
21'
A long throw-in from Miguel Britos flies into the heart of the Palace penalty area and almost finds Deeney in front of goal, but the ball ends up skimming the captain's header before being blasted away by James Tomkins.
19'
The game gets underway once again and Palace quickly win themselves a free-kick deep down the left wing after Christian Benteke is dragged to the ground by Prodl. Townsend steps up and curls a cross into the box, but he's woefully hit and sails harmlessly out of play for a goal-kick.
17'
Ouch! Janmaat and Jeffrey Schlupp battle for the ball in the air before clashing heads, leaving the Watford man in a heap on the floor holding his head. The injury doesn't look to be a serious one though, but he'll need to receive medical treatment for a few moments before being able to continue.
15'
A pinpoint pass from Sebastian Prodl finds Deeney on the edge of the Palace box, and the captain quickly spins round his marker before trying to pick out Janmaat over on the right wing. The striker's pass is underhit, however, and easily dealt with by the home side.
13'
Niang is left in a pocket of space midway inside the Palace half of the pitch and immediately charges towards the penalty area. He doesn't have many team-mates around him and is forced into shooting from 30 yards out, but there isn't enough power behind the strike to trouble Hennessey in the middle of the goal.
11'
Another attempted Palace attacking move breaks down and allows Watford to quickly push forward on a swift counter-attack. Troy Deeney picks up the ball on the halfway line and tries to burst past Luka Milivojevic, but the Serbian dispossesses the striker with a crunching sliding tackle.
9'
Chance for Mamadou Sakho! Zaha causes more problems down the left wing before winning the home side the first corner of the game. It's whipped into the middle of the box by Yohan Cabaye and finds Sakho in front of goal, who then sends a bullet header just wide of the near post.
7'
Daryl Janmaat gets himself into a good position deep down the left wing and cuts on to his left foot before swinging a deep cross over to the far post. It finds Niang in a pocket of space in front of goal, but, slightly off-balance, he's unable to test Wayne Hennessey with his downward header.
5'
Big call by the referee! Wilfried Zaha flies down the left flank on a brilliant run as he skips past a sea of white shirts. He does really well to penetrate the penalty area before going down under what looks to be a push from Craig Cathcart, but the referee waves away the protests from the Palace players.
3'
After an even start to the game from both sides, Younes Kaboul charges into the Palace half of the pitch before teeing up M'Baye Niang over on the left wing. The Frenchman twists and turns as he tries to find a way past Joel Ward, but Andros Townsend is there to push him off the ball with a strong shoulder-barge.
1'
We're off! Watford get us underway, attacking from right to left.
Good afternoon and welcome to our live text commentary of today’s Premier League game between Crystal Palace and Watford at Selhurst Park.
After managing to win just one of their first eight league games under Sam Allardyce, it looked as if Palace were set to suffer a miserable slide down the table. Little over a month ago they sat in 19th place, equal on points with bottom side Sunderland heading into a must-win clash at home to Middlesbrough. But win is exactly what they did, and the Eagles followed their success against Boro with another much-needed victory last weekend.
The 2-0 win against West Bromwich Albion meant that Palace finished the weekend outside of the relegation zone for the first time since the middle of January, although the gap between themselves and Hull City remains perilously close. The Tigers saw off fellow strugglers Swansea City to close the gap to just one point, meaning that today’s game is another must-win one for Sam Allardyce’s men.
As for Watford, their early season success means that they are likely to avoid being dragged into the fight to avoid relegation, but, without a victory in their last three games, they can’t take anything for granted. The Hornets have won just twice in the league since the middle of December, leaving them just sevens point clear of the bottom three with 11 games left to play.
This afternoon’s clash starts a month-long period in which Watford will have to face several of the teams currently battling in the bottom half of the table. Games against Sunderland, Swansea and Hull are all fast approaching, and Walter Mazzarri will no doubt be pushing for victories in each of them as he attempts to guide his side back into the top 10.
The Boxing Day meeting between the two sides was Sam Allardyce’s first game in charge of Palace, and it resulted in a close-fought, and slightly nervy, 1-1 draw. Today’s hosts were arguably the better of the two teams before conceding from the penalty spot, and they’ll be looking to make amends for the two points dropped at Vicarage Road with a hugely important victory this afternoon.
There’s just over 15 minutes left to go until kick-off, so let’s have a look at how the two teams will be lining up this afternoon…
Sam Allardyce has decided to make just one change to the Palace side that started the victory against West Brom, with Jeffrey Schlupp coming into the starting line-up to replace the injured Patrick van Aanholt at left-back.
Meanwhile, Watford boss Walter Mazzarri has made two alterations to the team that featured in their last outing, with Jose Holebas and Stefano Okaka making way for Craig Cathcart and Daryl Janmaat, respectively.
The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
HALF-TIME: CRYSTAL PALACE 0-0 WATFORD
It wasn't the most entertaining of first halves, but both sides will be relatively happy with how they've played so far. Despite enjoying a couple of chances on goal, Watford have done little inside the final third of the pitch, resulting in them sitting deep to defend diligently against the hosts. Palace started slowly before coming into the game, and they now find themselves on the front foot thanks to an impressive performance from Zaha.
The two teams are making their way back out on to the pitch ahead of the start of the second half.
FULL-TIME: CRYSTAL PALACE 1-0 WATFORD
The referee blows his whistle for the final time and the Palace fans go wild! That's three consecutive league wins for the Eagles for the first time since September, and they certainly seem to be on their way to pulling off a magical escape from the bottom three. They now sit four points clear of the relegation zone thanks to their win and Hull's defeat, but their next three games see them take on Chelsea, Southampton and Arsenal.
As for Watford, a disappointing run continues, leaving them in the bottom half of the table for another week. They are now without a victory in any of their previous four Premier League games, meaning that their next clash against Sunderland is certainly a must-win one.
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