Premier League live blog: Crystal Palace 0-1 Southampton
Follow live coverage of Roy Hodgson's first game in charge at Crystal Palace as they host Southampton.
Crystal Palace 0-1 Southampton
Crystal Palace: Hennessey, Ward, Dann, Fosu-Mensah, Schlupp, Cabaye, Puncheon, Loftus-Cheek, McArthur, Townsend, Benteke Subs: Speroni, Van Aanholt, Milivojevic, Tomkins, Lee, Sako, Kelly.
Bookings: Cabaye (33)
Southampton: Forster, Cedric, Yoshida, Hoedt, Bertrand, Romeu, Lemina, Davis, Redmond, Tadic, Long Subs: McCarthy, Stephens, Ward-Prowse, Van Dijk, Boufal, Gabbiadini, Targett.
Goals: Davis (6)
Live blog
67: BOOKING: McCarthy enters the book for a late challenge as Palace's frustrations build.
63: Long's pace is starting to trouble Palace more as they push up but he still looks drained of confidence.
59: Southampton weathered the storm and it has all gone a bit quiet. Southampton are probing again but with little intent.
49: Palace should be level as they set siege on the Saints goal, with Puncheon denied from close range.
46: We're back under way and Palace have 38 minutes to avoid breaking Newcastle's 2005/06 record of the longest goalless start to the season. They'll be even more concerned about becoming the first top-flight side to lose their first five games without scoring.
45: Palace are 10/1 to come from behind and win and 3/1 to salvage a draw, while Sky Bet are enhancing Benteke from 6/1 to 13/2 to score next. Bet in-play with Sky Bet here.
45: That's half-time then and work to do for Hodgson and co, behind early and desperately searching for ideas.
41: Cedric hits the byline and delivers a dangerous cross but it evades both sets of players in the box.
35: YELLOW - Cabaye picks up the first booking of the day for a nothing challenge. The Eagles looked dangerous for a spell there but their visitors weathered it well.
30: Benteke holds up the ball well and feeds Loftus-Cheek, who drives at the heart of Southampton's defence before firing a fierce low shot just wide.
29: Redmond tries to slot Long through his pass is a fraction late and the Irishman is caught offside.
Southampton celebrate Davis' close-range opener.
24: Cabaye fires a speculative effort high and wide as the hosts struggle to create for Benteke. The Saints are otherwise looking fairly comfortable. The Chelsea loanee then breaks into the box again but has his effort blocked by Bertrand.
21: Lemina has looked sharp in the middle for Southampton and tricks his way past a couple of Palace midfielders before firing an effort wide. The Eagles are desperately missing such a composed presence.
16: Palace chance! Townsend feeds Loftus-Cheek down the right and he finds Benteke in the book, but the Belgian's effort is smartly stopped by Forster.
14: The Eagles are now out to 11/2 with Sky Bet for a comeback win, with their visitors 1/2 to leave with all three points.
How badly do the Eagles need this man fit right now?
12: The Saints are in charge here now and Long gets a chance at the far post but fails to trouble Hennessey. I was by no means an easy chance from a diagonal ball but, rather than trying to take it down, he simply heads the ball away from goal.
6: GOAL! DAVIS! Palace 0-1 Southampton
Tadic hits the byline, fires in a low cross, which Hennessey can only parry into the path of Davis, who calmly slots into the corner. Hodgson out?
5: The Saints put together a more substantial move and Lemina has a shot blocked before Davis fires a tame effort at Hennessey.
1: We're under way and Palace go straight into an attack, with Townsend failing to hit the target. Settle in Roy.
1229: Hodgson has just hugged an eagle. There's no way back now. He becomes just the third Premier League manager to be in charge of a side in his 70s (name the other two?) and the first to start a job in his 70s.
1226: Here come the teams, with Puncheon leading out Hodgson's new side, which is exactly the same as De Boer's but for the recall of Loftus-Cheek.
1220: For those who disagree, Long to score is enhanced from 3/1 to 4/1 in Sky Bet's Price Boosts. I'd rather oppose him and his goal-shy team-mates at a similar price.
1213: The selection of Long only adds to that case for me. The Republic of Ireland striker has failed to score in his last 20 appearances for club and country, but yet gets the nod ahead of Gabbiadini and Austin. Bring back Claude Puel?!
1205: Palace have actually been on the drift since the line-ups were announced, going from 9/5 to 19/10 with Sky Bet. I'm sticking by my prediction for a Palace win to nil at 7/2. The rest of you are wrong.
1146: Not convinced by the Saints’ struggles? Well I hate to name drop but I was talking to Saints legend Matt Le Tissier on Thursday and even he suggested Palace were overpriced at 9/5 with Sky Bet to win this match.
Adding to that case, Opta inform us that “Crystal Palace’s xG (expected goals) figure in the Premier League this season is 4.73 – suggesting that an average team would have scored five goals from the chances they’ve had” which is higher than Chelsea’s.
The Saints’ record of failing to score in nine of their last 12 nudges me towards the Palace to win to nil market at 7/2.
For a more sustained interest, Christian Benteke to score a header is enhanced from 13/2 to 17/2 in Sky Bet’s Price Boosts.
1134: For Palace, Loftus-Cheek returns to the Palace line-up but there's still no room in the starting XI for Sakho.
The big selection that remains is...will Benteke be taking corners? Or has Hodgson learnt from putting England's best striker in the duty at the Euros? All will become clear shortly.
1133: The big team news is that Van Dijk returns for Southampton but only to the bench. Long also gets the nod ahead of Gabbiadini and Austin, while new boys Hoedt and Lemina start.
1130: I know what you’re thinking, 'Palace v Southampton? I’ll have one eye on it in the pub but it’s a nothing game, isn’t it?'.
Well, if early-season form is anything to go by then this could well be a relegation six-pointer.
Palace’s problems have been well publicised, failing to score in four successive defeats, resulting in their installation and relegation favourites and the remarkable departure of Frank de Boer. We don’t go into that again.
The Eagles are also battling against an ominous place in the history books by becoming the first top-flight side to lose their first five games without scoring, while the have until the 78th-minute to avoid eclipsing Newcastle’s record of longest goalless start to a season.
But the Saints’ start has been little better when you break it down. They’ve failed to score in three of four favourable fixtures, with their only win being a scrappy 3-2 late triumph over West Ham.
1120: Hello and welcome along to our live coverage of Crystal Palace v Southampton, as Roy Hodgson returns to the Premier League.
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