Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson deserves plaudits for being able to steer the Eagles clear of relegation fears at the age of 75. However, the Palace boss proved that his playing days are well behind him in the south London outfit's home match against London rivals West Ham United.
With Palace 2-1 up against the Hammers at Selhurst Park, a clearance from West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski made it's way towards the Crystal Palace dugout and Eagles manager Hodgson.
In an attempt to stop the ball, the Englishman lifted his foot but couldn't find a killer touch with the ball bouncing back onto the pitch.
Hodgson was reappointed as Palace manager last month after announcing his retirement in 2021, replacing Patrick Vieira with the Eagles winless in 2023.
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Despite numerous raised eyebrows towards the appointment, the veteran coach has been able to guide the south London outfit clear of any relegation fears with ten points in five matches.
In a mouthwatering first-half, West Ham had taken an early lead through Tomas Soucek but goals from Crystal Palace's Jordan Ayew, Wilfried Zaha and Jeffrey Schlupp saw the hosts take control of the match before Michail Antonio halved the deficit before half-time.
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Ahead of the match against West Ham, Hodgson spoke about Hammers boss David Moyes.
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He said: “know David well. We’ve been friends for many, many years, even since the time I was at Udinese in the late 1990s.
“I expect David Moyes' teams to be the sort of teams that have seen him win the award of [LMA] Manager of the Year on three occasions. He wins that award because he manages to get his teams playing in a very organised way, but in a way also that enables them to exert maximum pressure on the opponents and get good results from the work that he does.”
Featured Image Credit: BT SportTopics: Roy Hodgson, Crystal Palace, Premier League, West Ham United
