Michael Olise made a spectacular return to action with the winning goal after providing two assists as Crystal Palace twice came from behind to beat Sheffield United 3-2 in a riveting Premier League clash at Selhurst Park on Tuesday night.
The Blades increased the pressure on Eagles boss Roy Hodgson as they took the lead after 20 seconds when Ben Brereton Diaz curled past goalkeeper Dean Henderson.
Eberechi Eze levelled on seventeen minutes but Chris Wilder’s side were back in front three minutes later when James McAtee’s shot deflected in.
Eze made it 2-2 in the 27th minute when he fired into the top corner from the edge of the box.
Olise scored an outstanding winner in the 67th minute with a curling shot from the edge of the D that went in off the post.
It wasn’t all cheer for the home side, however, as both Palace’s star attackers were substituted late on after picking up knocks.
Eze was pleased with the home side’s resilience in twice fighting back.
“I think we started quite slow, to be honest, and they looked sharp,” Eze said on Palace’s website. “I feel like whenever you give a team a chance or you’re not up for it at the start, you’re always going to give away chances.
“But the boys worked hard, we did what we wanted to do, we got three points, and that’s the main thing.
“I don’t know [the reasons for falling behind] but as I said, we’ve got the ability and the creativity in the team to get chances and score goals, so we’ve done well today.”
Olise has provided seven assists for Eze since the start of last season.
Eze added: “As I’ve said all the time, I enjoy playing with him because he’s a top player, but there’s loads of other players in the team who work so hard and create space for us to do our thing, so it’s the type of performance we want to be putting in.
“I know whenever Michael’s got the ball, he’s looking for that type of pass, so I just knew I had to put myself in and got a good foot on it, I guess.
“The second one, again, always trying to create space on the edge of the box, and I know that if I get a chance I’m going to take it.”
Palace moved six points above the relegation zone and are away at Brighton & Hove Albion in their bitter ‘derby’ on Saturday.
“I feel like there’s lots to learn from that,” Eze said. “We can’t concede goals like that, especially at home, but that should give us confidence because we know we can create chances.”
