The Crystal Palace flop should not start again this season

Crystal Palace were left frustrated by the officials’ decisions after being beaten 3-0 by Bournemouth in the Premier League at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday.

The Eagles went 1-0 through Jefferson Lerma’s goal before the referee awarded a penalty to the hosts for fouling Dean Henderson on Marcos Senesi.

The Palace captain did well to put the first ball into the box with both hands before dropping it to Senesi and seemingly tripping the defender.

Replays, however, showed that there was too little contact on the Bournemouth defender’s knee to send him down, but VAR chose not to suggest a review for the referee to change his mind.

On top of that player who had an incredible fight that led to the second goal in the game, Palace will not blame the officials for the result of South Coast.

Why Crystal Palace won’t blame the referee for their loss to Bournemouth

Barring a penalty from the game, the Eagles didn’t do enough at the other end of the pitch to suggest they deserved to return to London with a point or three.

The Palace starting line-up of Yeremy Pino, Jorgen Strand Larsen, and Brennan Johnson finished the game with one shot on target, which came from distance, and one key pass between them.

Strand Larsen’s shot from the edge of the box in the 46th minute of the game was the only one that hit the goal post for Oliver Glasner’s team in 90 minutes.

Johnson, who joined for a then club record fee of £35m from Tottenham in January, played the entire 90 minutes without registering a goal, a key pass, an attempted cross, or a full ball.

Therefore, Glasner should be more concerned about the performance of his players than the performance of the officials, because many players failed to step up to the level, including the likes of Lerma, Strand Larsen, Pino, and Johnson.

Worse than Johnson: The Crystal Palace player should not start again this season

With Johnson facing the Cherries, there was another Palace flop that was worse than the Wales international on Sunday.

Justin Devenny played first-half at left-back and second-half at wing-back, looking below par in both positions for the Eagles.

The versatile player, who often plays as an attacking midfielder or central midfielder, has been tackled four times, more than any other player on the park, as he has looked deep in both full-back roles.

The Northern Irishman also struggled on the ball for Palace, completing just 68% of his passes and failing to create opportunities for his team-mates, meaning he failed to provide quality players or come out with the ball for Glasner’s side.

Johnson, at least, completed 81% of his attempted passes and lost the ball eight times, ten times less than Devenny during the same time on the field.

It was the 22-year-old’s first start in any competition since the 2-1 defeat by Sunderland in the Premier League in January, and should be his last of the season.

Devenny has started six games in the Premier League this season and the Eagles have drawn three, lost three and won zero in those games, which should not be surprising given the quality he played against Bournemouth.

The young Northern Irishman could develop into a valuable asset for Palace in the future, but he doesn’t look ready to start top-flight games for the club right now.

Therefore, Glasner has to bench the versatile midfielder for the rest of the season and there could be a big decision to make about his short-term future when the summer transfer window opens.

The next manager may not see Devenny as an integral part of their plans, given his struggles this season, and may decide to loan him out next season to gain valuable experience and develop as a player.