Crystal Palace spent the entire summer chasing Mamadou Sakho. Here at Selhurst Park we caught a glimpse of why.
Colossal in the heart of defence; match-winner at the other end – Sakho is an all-action hero.
Wearing the captain’s armband, the Frenchman dragged his team to three points and a victory that will energise a football club down on their haunches.
Mamadou Sakho came to Crystal Palace’s rescue at the death as celebrates his stoppage time winner at Selhurst Park
Ruben Loftus-Cheek made sure Crystal Palace avoided a narrow defeat as he equalises against Stoke
The home supporters protest as Xherdan Shaqiri installs life into the clash with bottom of the league Palace
Shaqiri cuts into the box from the right of the pitch to fire the ball past Palace shot-stopper Wayne Hennessey
The Switzerland international gestures to the home supporters as he celebrates his brilliant solo effort
Arms aloft, Roy Hodgson stood in his technical area contemplating the importance of Sakho’s injury time winner.
Opposite number Mark Hughes was also in contemplative mood; wondering exactly how his side left south London with nothing after Xherdan Shaqiri fired them ahead with a brilliant individual effort.
Stoke created enough chances to have won this game before Sakho’s late intervention – not that will be of any comfort to the Potters boss.
In the end, Hodgson was rewarded for being bold. He showed his ruthless streak by axing goalkeeper Julian Speroni and defender Scott Dann following the pair’s calamitous mix-up that cost Palace victory against Everton last week; Wayne Hennessey and James Tomkins replacing the duo.
The Eagles manager had to do something. For all the talk of improvement under the former England manager, the cold facts are hard to escape.
Five points from a possible 24 before this clash against unchanged Stoke since Hodgson’s appointment paints a bleak picture.
Stoke’s predicament isn’t as alarming, but being their three point cushion from the relegation zone hardly makes comfortable reading.
Indeed, the natives are getting increasingly restless, manager Hughes the object of their angst.
Here at Selhurst Park, it was the host’s that started much brighter.
Andros Townsend is overwhelmed by the powerful challenger of Stoke’s Erik Pieters as he wins the aerial duel
Wilfried Zaha is a dampened spirit as Palace battle out a cagey goalless first half with Mark Hughes’ Stoke
Goalscorer Shaqiri shows his strength to the travelling Stoke supporters as he opens the scoring in the second half
Loftus-Cheek stabs the ball past Stoke goalkeeper Lee Grant just three minutes after Shaqiri’s opener
Stoke captain should have scored the winner before Sakho but somehow managed to squander his chance from close range
MATCH FACTS, LEAGUE TABLE AND MATCH ZONE
Crystal Palace (4-4-2): Hennessey 6.5; Ward 6.5, Sakho 8, Tomkins 6.5, Schlupp 7; Loftus-Cheek 7, Cabaye 6.5, Milivojevic 6.5, McArhtur 5.5 (Benteke 46, 6); Townsend 7, Zaha 7
Subs not used: Speroni, Sako, Van Aanholt, Fosu-Mensah, Puncheon, Dann
Goals: Loftus-Cheek 56; Sakho 90+2
Bookings: Tomkins 84
Manager: Roy Hodgson 6
Stoke (3-4-2-1): Grant 6.5; Zouma 6.5, Shawcross 6, Wimmer 6; Diouf 6 (Jese 75), Fletcher 5.5, Allen 7, Pieters 6; Shaqiri 7.5, Sobhi (Crouch 67); Choupo-Moting 6.5
Subs not used: Haugaard, Indi, Affelay, Jese, Edwards, Crouch, Adam
Goals: Shaqiri 53
Bookings: Wimmer 63
Manager: Mark Hughes 6
Referee: Mike Dean 6.5
Attendance: 23,723
MOM: Sakho
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Andros Townsend latched onto a poor Stoke clearance before finding Ruben Loftus-Cheek at the far post, who stabbed home for the equaliser. For more key match facts, visit Sportsmail’s Match Zone, here.
They should have taken an 18th minute lead after Wilfried Zaha left Darren Fletcher for dead down the left before delivering a low cross that found Ruben Loftus-Cheek at the back post.
Eight yards out, the outcome seemed inevitable – but Erik Pieters, not that he knew an awful lot much about it, produced a vital block to prevent Stoke from falling behind.
Hodgson shook his head on the touchline. He’s been doing a lot of that lately.
His mood would have worsened if Xherdan Shaqiri had shown an ounce of conviction in front of goal after being played through brilliantly by Fletcher.
Shaqiri was off target again in the 33rd minute, this time with a venomous strike from distance that flew narrowly past Hennessey’s far post.
This was a regression from Palace following their recent promising performances – Stoke, after weathering the home side’s early storm, were more than comfortable.
Yet Hodgson’s men could have taken the lead six minutes before the break after James McArthur failed to finish off some sterling work between Zaha and Loftus-Cheek despite having two bites of the cherry.
The Palace manager threw on Christian Benteke in place of McArthur at half-time in search of a vital opener.
The Belgian threatened soon after his introduction, rippling the side-netting after collecting Yohan Cabaye’s pass.
The effort momentarily lifted home supporters’ spirits after what was, by and large, a turgid affair.
Palace fans in full voice throughout as they hope they’re side can turn their poor start to the season around
Palace boss Roy Hodgson acknowledges the Eagles supporters on Saturday afternoon as he looks for his third win
Those hopes soon dissipated as Shaqiri lit up Selhurst Park with a breathtaking solo effort in the 53rd minute.
Hodgson will point to Zaha losing the ball in midfield, but that would detract from what followed as the Switzerland international skilfully drove towards goal before unleashing an unstoppable low drive from the edge of the area past Hennessey.
Selhurst Park fell silent, they’ve grown far too familiar with this.
But the excellence of Xherdan’s opener was undone by some dreadful defending as Palace responded within three minutes.
Townsend’s cross should have been routinely dealt with by any one of three Stoke defenders – particularly Kevin Wimmer and Pieters.
Yet somehow Townsend’s delivery found it’s way to Loftus-Cheek at the back post, the midfielder tapping home past the exposed Lee Grant.
Lifeline for Palace. Awful from Stoke.
Referee Dean calms Frenchman Yohan Cabaye as frustrations begin to show in the latter phases of the game
Zaha and Joel Ward leap on the back of Loftus-Cheek as Palace fans breathe a sigh of relief on Saturday afternoon
Stoke defender Kurt Zouma douses his head with water on as Stoke looked to get back to winning ways at Selhurst Park
Maxim Choupo-Moting slides in on Ward to regain possession for Stoke late on in the second half
Hodgson scratches his head as Palace remain rock bottom of the Premier League despite snatching a late winner
Hughes introduced Peter Crouch in the 67th minute and the former England striker nearly made a telling impact as his headed knock down was fired narrowly wide by fellow substitute Jese in the 76th minute.
The Potters then missed two opportunities in quick succession to steal all three points with two minutes left to play.
First, Ryan Shawcross couldn’t get enough purchase on his lunge from Shaqiri’s cross before Kurt Zouma saw his follow up effort held by Hennessey.
How Shawcross squandered his opportunity will remain a mystery; two yards out – all it needed was a touch forward and Stoke were going home with the points.
Instead, they left with absolutely nothing as Sakho grabbed an injury time winner, firing home into an empty net after Cabaye’s effort from Zaha’s cross ricocheted off the post and into his path.
Joel Allen appeals to referee Dean (rear) as he feels he has been impeded by Palace midfielder Cabaye (left)
Representatives from both sides don colourful laces in support of the Stonewall Rainbow Laces campaign
Stoke boss Hughes calls upon Peter Crouch in an attempt to snatch a victory from Hodgson’s Palace
But he was unable to make an impact as Stoke leave Selhurst Park shocked and empty handed
While the Eagles will celebrate the victory despite remaining at the foot of the Premier League table