Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's Premier League clash between Crystal Palace and Swansea City at Selhurst Park. Let's get straight down to business!

We'll start by looking at our hosts today, and Crystal Palace have not exactly had an easy start to life back in the top flight. They have already been pitched against the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United while also travelling to face Stoke in one of the most notoriously tough away days in the league.

It perhaps isn't a surprise, then, that they find themselves towards the foot of the table. Manager Ian Holloway will have expected to be embroiled in a relegation dogfight this season but, despite them sitting in 19th place going into this match, he won't be too disappointed with the start that his side have made.

They began their campaign with a respectable performance against Tottenham, who needed a penalty to beat the Eagles 1-0 having struggled to break them down for much of the match. They followed that up with another decent performance against Stoke, although the 2-1 losing scoreline will have disappointed Holloway.

The Eagles only win of the campaign so far came against Sunderland at the end of last month, when their 3-1 victory over Sunderland - who are the only team still below them in the table - had Holloway dancing a jig of delight on the sidelines. That was an important result as a daunting trip to Old Trafford followed although, again, Holloway can be proud of his side's performance. Ultimately, they fell to a 2-0 defeat, but those goals came from a controversial penalty, which resulted in an even more controversial red card, and a fine Wayne Rooney free kick.

Perhaps their biggest disappointment of the season so far has come in the League Cup. They were eliminated in the second round to Bristol City, losing 2-1 to a side who are having their own big troubles down in League One. Elimination from the League Cup could be a blessing in disguise if it helps them focus on the Premier League, but a good cup run is always a boost for morale, while such a disappointing early exit does the opposite.

For all of their struggles so far this season, Selhurst Park remains a happy hunting ground for them. Their record here was impeccable in the Championship last season, and it could be key to their survival hopes this year. They will need to turn it into a fortress. It has certainly been a fortress recently, losing just one of their last seven games here (against Tottenham on the opening day), and just two of their last 27 matches.

A win today would see Palace claim back-to-back home wins in the Premier League for the first time since January 2005, when they beat Aston Villa (2-0) and Tottenham (3-0) here. To do that, they will have to find the shooting boots which have somewhat deserted them since Wilfried Zaha left and Glenn Murray was injured. Palace have failed to score in nine of their last 16 games, making it even more remarkable that they managed to progress through the playoffs to get promotion.

If they are to win today, they will have to do it without Ian Holloway masterminding it from the sidelines. The outspoken boss is serving the final game of his two-match ban for comments about the standard of refereeing in the match against Spurs.

You are unlikely to hear such comments come from the mouth of Michael Laudrup, who quietly oversaw his side pull off a famous win in their last outing. Their first ever Europa League game saw them travel to Spain to face the might of Valencia and come away 3-0 victors, albeit having played against 10 men for much of the match. It is a win that will rank alongside some of the greatest in the club's history, and they will be going into today's match full of confidence, and rightly so.

The Europa League heroics have drawn some attention away from what has been a patchy start on the domestic front. They have picked up just four points from their opening four games, although that form has shown signs of improving recently.

Their last league outing saw them draw 2-2 with Liverpool in a particularly eventful game for Jonjo Shelvey, who amazingly had a hand in all four goals. Before that match they picked up their first win of their season when they beat West Brom 2-0, meaning that they are unbeaten in their last three matches in all competitions.

However, they did make an inauspicious start to the season, albeit against tough opposition. Their opening match saw them beaten 4-1 by Manchester United, while a 1-0 loss at the hands of Tottenham followed. Having played United, Spurs and Liverpool already, four points from four games doesn't seem like such a bad tally, but if they want similar nights next season to the one they had in midweek then today's matches are the sort that they need to win.

While Swansea have looked strong in Europe, comfortably beating Malmo and Petrolul Ploiesti as well as Valencia, their league form, even stretching back into last season, is a little more suspect. They have won just one of their last six Premier League matches and just two of their last 14. It is fair to say that they lost their way a little after their League Cup triumph last season, but they will be hoping that the Europa League doesn't have a similar effect on the team this year.

They have won their last two away games without conceding a goal, which includes that win over Valencia, but they have not won back-to-back Premier League away games since November 2012, when they beat Newcastle and Arsenal in succession. If they can repeat their Mestalla performance in the rather less-glamorous setting of Selhurst Park, then they will end that almost year-long run.

They will be looking to improve significantly on their record against promoted teams from last season, however. They only managed one win from the six games against the new boys from the last campaign, beating West Ham at home. They drew four and lost one of the other five, which could give Palace a little hope going into this match.

Palace could also draw a little hope from Swansea's recent record against London opposition. Michael Laudrup's side have lost each of their last four games against teams from the capital, and Ian Holloway will be looking to make that six this afternoon.

TEAM NEWS: The team news is in, and the most notable lineup comes from the away camp. Ashley Williams, who missed that win over Valencia in midweek, has been deemed fit enough to start the match while Bony, who scored against the Spanish giants, only makes the bench with Vazquez partnering Michu up front. For Palace, Marouane Chamakh leads the line with Cameron Jerome and Jason Puncheon in support. Full team news on the way.

CRYSTAL PALACE STARTING XI: Speroni; Mariappa, Gabbidon, Delaney, Moxey; Jedinak, Guedioura, Bannan, Puncheon, Jerome; Chamakh

CRYSTAL PALACE SUBS: Alexander, O'Keefe, Campana, Kebe, Thomas, Gayle, Phillips

SWANSEA STARTING XI: Vorm; Rangel, Chico, Williams, Davies; Canas, Shelvey, Dyer, Routledge; Michu, Vazquez

SWANSEA SUBS: Tremmel, Amat, Britton, De Guzman, Pozuelo, Tiendelli, Bony

What can we make of those two teams then? Well, I'm slightly surprised that Holloway has opted for Chamakh ahead of Gayle up front. Chico and Williams are both fine defenders, but their main strengths lay in aerial battles, which is where Chamakh would be hoping to make a difference today.

Palace have been hit by a number of injuries already this season, but the likes of Bannan, Puncheon and Jerome do have the ability to change games and also have the Premier League experience that the club, as a whole, lacks. It will be up to that trio, and Guedioura, to create the chances for the hosts today.

As for Swansea, I must say that I expected Bony to start, but perhaps it isn't a huge surprise that he moves onto the bench given Swansea's punishing schedule recently. This will be their third match this week having faced Liverpool on Monday, travelled to Spain for a game on Thursday and then returned for a match in London today. That is a tough ask of the players, and Laudrup has wisely chosen to rotate a couple.

They will be delighted to have Ashley Williams back. They may not have missed him against Valencia, but he adds so much to the defence and is one of the most solid centre-backs in the league. He and Chico have forged a formidable partnership in the middle of that back four, and Palace will do well to get past them today. In midfield, we saw the best and worst of Shelvey on Monday, but there is no doubt that he has shown a lot of potential and is still growing as a player. He will be desperate to banish any demons from that Liverpool game this afternoon.

Up front, Michu will pose a constant threat to the Palace back line as he always does, while Alvaro Vazquez is still finding his feet in England but could well prove to be another shrewd Spanish buy from Laudrup. They have the ability to bring on the likes of Bony and De Guzman from the bench, both of whom can have a positive impact on the game, while if they are winning and need to control the tempo then few are better at doing that than Leon Britton.

PREDICTION: We're 10 minutes from kickoff at Selhurst Park, which means that it is time for a prediction! Historically teams don't do well in a league match immediately following a European one, but such was the nature of Swansea's victory that they should still be flying high. However, Palace are impressive at home and will certainly not make it easy for the Swans. The Eagles will view this a potentially winnable game, but I see it ending as a 1-1 draw.

Palace's recent record against Swansea is pretty poor, it must be said. The last time these two met was in Swansea's promotion season when they beat Palace 3-0 both home and away. Swansea are unbeaten in the last four meetings between the two sides, winning the last three and drawing one.

While Palace's home record has been very good over the last season or so, they haven't beaten Swansea at Selhurst Park since September 2008, over five years ago. That was a 2-0 win for the Eagles.

Surprisingly, despite both clubs spending a lot of time in the lower leagues during their long histories, this is only the 17th league meeting between them. It is also the first time that they will have ever met in the top flight, which warrants a pat on the back for both clubs.

There is one more Premier League match kicking off at 1.30pm today as Arsenal host Stoke at the Emirates. You can follow that match with Liam Apicella here, and I will also be keeping you up to date with any goals and major incidents as an when they happen from that game. Arsenal, of course, are looking to go top of the table after yesterday's slip-up from Liverpool.

We're nearing kickoff at Selhurst Park now as both sides spill out onto the field. It is a homecoming of sorts for Wayne Routledge, who came through the ranks here before going on to make over 100 appearances for the club. He has played against Palace four times since leaving and has never been on the losing side.

There will be a minute of applause before kick off is memory of Palace chairman Peter Morley, who sadly passed away last weekend.

KICKOFF: Crystal Palace get us underway amid a cacophony of noise from the home fans. They are trying their best to turn this into an intimidating place to come, and they are doing a decent job.

Wow, what a perfect start for Swansea. They have started this match very brightly and have the lead after just 80 seconds. Shelvey slipped a pass towards Michu, but it needed a bit of luck to find the Spaniard, deflecting off Routledge. Michu fired the ball low towards the near post, and Speroni just couldn't get enough on his save to keep it out as it goes in off his leg.

OFF THE POST! Swansea are just not letting up early on here. Shelvey is again involved as he whips a corner towards the far post where Chico Flores is waiting. It is poor defending from Palace as they allow the defender to get a shot away, but it comes back off the post.

Moments after that, another Shelvey corner causes havoc in the Palace box. It needs a man on the line to just chest the ball into the path of Speroni, who probably would have kept it out anyway.

Well, this is not how Palace would have envisioned this one starting. Swansea have started brilliantly here and the hosts just don't look capable of stopping them. They are looking increasingly jittery at the back, with Speroni almost gifting the visitors the ball back after trying to clear a poor pass back to him.

UPDATE: There has also been an early goal in the day's other early kickoff, and it has gone Arsenal's way. Aaron Ramsey has continued his magnificent scoring form so far this season by giving the Gunners a 1-0 lead against Stoke.

Delaney is harshly penalised for what was a fine sliding tackle, and Swansea now have a free kick in a good crossing position. Shelvey's deliveries have caused problems so far today, but not this time as he drills the ball high over everybody's heads.

Swansea have certainly dispelled any concerns that they may be tired going into this match. They have started it very brightly indeed and Palace are struggling to get any time on the ball at the moment.

Much better from Palace as Jerome threads a lovely pass out to Mariappa on the right, and he puts the ball into a dangerous area between the defence and the keeper. There is only one Palace player in the box, however, and he is nowhere near the ball.

A good ball from Davies finds Routledge, who has made a good run into the box from deep. He is too far wide to get a shot away and the ball just skips away from him at the last second which means that his cross is easy for Speroni.

Palace have recovered fairly well from that terrible start and are beginning to ask a few questions of the Swansea defence now. They still haven't quite found a way through, but they have certainly improved in the last five minutes or so.

This is Palace's best chance of the match as Chico fouls Chamakh 25 yards from goal. This is a very good position for a free kick, although it could be a little close to get it over the wall and back down in time...

...Indeed, Puncheon's effort hits the top of the wall which does its job perfectly.

Shelvey has been heavily involved in this match so far, which is in keeping with the role he has had at Swansea since his arrival. Laudrup is putting a lot of faith in the youngster and, while there will be mistakes, he could well reap the rewards as Shelvey looks to be increasingly capable of controlling the tempo of a match.

Vorm got away with that one there! Bannan floats a free kick into the box and the Swansea keeper comes a long way to claim it but is fairly beaten by Jedinak at the far post. He nods it into a dangerous area, but there are no Palace players there to take advantage and Swansea can clear the danger.

CHANCE! Michu has a glorious chance to double his side's lead and his personal tally but he tries to flick the ball on to Vazquez instead of going for goal himself! Laudrup is not happy, the Spaniard had to shoot there!

Jerome flicks the ball over Williams and looks to race on and pick it up the other side of the Swansea centre-back. It is a good foot race which Williams just about wins as he gets a toe to the ball to poke it back to Vorm.

YELLOW CARD! The first caution of the match is flashed to Dean Moxey as he comes sliding in to bring down Routledge after the Swansea man had flicked the ball over the tackle. No complaints against Kevin Friend there.

CLOSE! The ball is zipped across to Michu on the edge of the box and he takes it under instant control before sending a swerving volley narrowly over the bar. It took a deflection off Gabbidon on the way through so it will be a corner to the visitors.

The initial corner eventually sees Shelvey reach the byline before sending a cross in that deflects off the arm of Moxey. He gave away an almost identical penalty in the opening match of the season, but this time the claims are waved away by Kevin Friend. I think he has got this one right as Moxey was very close to Shelvey.

UPDATE: Stoke have equalised against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium and it is Geoff Cameron who has got the goal. It is 1-1 between those two sides now.

Chico makes another foul in a dangerous position, this time bring Cameron Jerome down. This one will be right on the cusp of shooting range and a cross may be the better option here.

It is a nicely worked free kick as Palace play it cheekily short for Guedioura to strike on the turn. It is a decent effort from that range, but it is never causing Vorm serious problems and he makes a comfortable save.

SAVE! What a magnificent effort from Rangel! Jerome beats Williams in the air after a Swansea corner but only gets it as far as the Swansea man on the edge of the box. He goes for goal with a first-time volley and catches it ever so sweetly, but his effort is well saved by Speroni. That is one of the hardest skills in football, and Rangel pulled it off almost perfectly there.

Great ball from Mariappa as he swings it right in front of the Swansea cross. Chamakh can't get there at the near post and it is cleared behind for a corner at the back post with Jerome lurking.

Williams is not moving freely for Swansea at the moment, and he looks like he is struggling badly. He will make it to half time I'm sure, but as things stand it looks like he would be a doubt to re-emerge for the second half.

UPDATE: Arsenal have regained the lead against Stoke, and it is the German combination of Ozil and Mertesacker who have done the damage. Ozil's corner was nodded in by his compatriot to make it 2-1.

There will be just the one minute of added time at the end of this half.

Kevin Friend's whistle signals and end to the first half after a slightly prolonged spell of added time to deal with an injury to Delaney. It was an entertaining first half with both teams playing open, exciting football, but it is the visitors who will go into the break with the bigger smiles on their faces as they lead 1-0 thanks to Michu's early goal.

It was a blistering start to the match from Swansea, who also hit the post and saw the ball cleared off the line inside five minutes. Palace simply could not cope with the visitors in the early stages of the match and Swansea took full advantage with Michu's strike, which was his third goal in his last three games.

Here is the man of the moment celebrating the goal that separates the two sides:

© Getty Images

Palace made an awful start to the match and their defence looked at sixes and sevens early on as Swansea seemingly cut through them at will. They improved as the half wore on, however, and have looked threatening in attack without really creating any clear cut chances. They will need a little more cutting edge in the final third, but Holloway will be happy with how his side responded to such a poor start.

However, you'd have to say that Swansea deserve their lead at the halfway stage of this match. Even ignoring their brilliant start they have looked like the team most likely to score, with Speroni being by far the busiest of the keepers. Michu has had a couple of chances to add a second, while Angel Rangel had a superb volley well saved.

Both sides ended the half with injury concerns, so it will be interesting to see whether the same 22 players take to the pitch for the second half. For Swansea, Ashley Williams was limping quite badly for the last five minutes of the half, while Delaney picked up a knock for the hosts just before the break.

The teams are on their way back out onto the pitch now, and Palace's first priority will be to avoid a similar start to the first half. Their recovery in the first half will have given them confidence that they can get something out of this match, but it will certainly not be an easy task.

KICKOFF: Swansea get us back underway, and there has been one change at the break. It has gone the way of the hosts, who take Delaney off and bring Jose Campana on. There are no defenders on the bench for Palace, so Jedinak will drop into centre-back.

Williams has managed to come back out for the second half, which is somewhat surprising given how badly he was limping before the break. He could have been given an injection to help him through this half, but he also risks aggravating the injury.

It is like a carbon copy of the first half as Swansea double their lead within three minutes of the restart! It is far too easy for Swansea as a simple ball through to Vazquez beats their entire defence. The striker is forced out wide but still manages to get a shot away. Speroni parries it back out to the Spaniard, who does well to feed it into Dyer, who swept the ball home.

YELLOW CARDS! Handbags here as an initial challenge from Moxey draws the ire of Rangel, who is booked for his reaction. In the ensuing melee Chico throws himself to the floor, and as a result Chamakh is also shown a yellow card.

Meanwhile, Speroni seemed to hurt himself during Swansea's second goal which would be another major loss for the Eagles. He looks like he will be able to continue but he look in some discomfort in the immediate aftermath of the goal.

A lovely ball over the top finds Michu, who controls it very well. The eventual shot is deflected by Jedinak, which forces Speroni to quickly change direction and make a decent stop down to his left.

CHANCE! What a chance for Swansea to make it three. It is lovely football from Swansea as they knock the ball about inside the attacking third nicely before Michu threads the ball through to Vazquez. The strike balloons his shot over the bar when very well placed, and he should have done at lot better. You simply have to at least hit the target there.

Swansea look in control of this match at the moment. Palace have not threatened in the second half as they just aren't getting enough men forward. It would be a big shock if Swansea were not to go on and win this match.

More beautiful build-up play from the visitors as Davies and Michu play a one-two on the edge of the box, but Michu's eventual shot is blocked. Lovely football from Swansea though.

SWANSEA SUB: Michael Laudrup makes his first change of the day as Vazquez makes way for Jonathan de Guzman. The Spaniard will leave the field knowing that he missed a glorious chance to open his Premier League account five minutes ago.

That is just about as threatening as Palace have looked in this second half. Puncheon is afforded a small amount of room on the edge of the box but he never really looks comfortable with the shot as he sends in quite a way wide.

Puncheon has another shooting opportunity from the edge of the box, but this time his effort is deflected behind by Williams. Chamakh did well to knock the ball down to the midfielder, but it was another unconvincing effort from him.

This is more like it from Palace. They are enjoying arguably their best spell of the match at the moment and, with a better touch from Bannan, would have had a very good chance just then. It was a cross that found its way to the back post where Bannan was waiting, but the bounce was just too high for him to take it in his stride.

Laudrup must be thinking about withdrawing Williams soon. He is still limping a little and carrying on in this game can't be doing him any good in the long term. Laudrup will be taking nothing for granted but this match should be won at this stage, so he could afford to take his skipper off.

CRYSTAL PALACE SUBS: Double change from the Eagles as Jerome Thomas comes on for his debut and record-signing Dwight Gayle also enters the fray, with the duo replacing Bannan and Jerome respectively.

It looks like Swansea will also be making another change shortly, with Pozuelo preparing to come on. It looks like Nathan Dyer will be the man to make way.

SWANSEA SUB: Indeed, here does come the change and, as expected, it is the scorer of the second goal Dyer who makes way for Alejandro Pozuelo.

CLOSE! That is the closest Palace have come so far today as the two latest subs combine. Thomas played a short pass to Gayle on the edge of the box and he took a touch before whipping a low shot narrowly past the post. It took a deflection on the way through, so it will be a corner to the hosts.

UPDATE: Arsenal have all-but sealed three points against Stoke with Bacary Sagna making it 3-1 to the Gunners. Three assists for Ozil today.

YELLOW CARD! Chico Flores is shown a yellow card by Kevin Friend, and he doesn't waste time complaining about the decision.

Very impressive possession football from Swansea, they must have had every outfield player touch the ball there. They work it up to Michu before going back to the defence and then up to Michu again. He plays a one-two with Shelvey before the former Liverpool man eventually gets the ball back again, but his finish is disappointing as he curls it high and wide.

SWANSEA SUB: Here comes Swansea's third and final change of the day as Canas is replaced by Leon Britton in what is a straight swap in midfield. Williams will play the full 90 minutes, then.

Here is the Swansea players' reaction to Nathan Dyer's strike at the start of this half, which gave the visitors what looks to be a 2-0 victory:

© Getty Images

Michu just mistimes his run to latch on to a lovely through ball. He doesn't here the whistle and proceeds to finish smartly, but it won't count as the linesman's flag is up.

Half-chance for Michu again as this time he beats the offside trap and tries to lift the ball over Speroni, who is in no man's land. He doesn't get enough elevation on his effort, however, and Speroni is able to pluck it out of the air.

Holloway is cutting a forlorn figure on his own in the stands at the moment. He couldn't inspire his side from the touchlines today due to his ban, but even if he was down there I'm not sure he could have done much. Palace have been poor but Swansea have played some lovely football.

Palace lift the ball into the area and Chamakh does well to chest down and shoot on the turn, but the linesman's flag is correctly raised and Vorm made a good stop anyway. There hasn't been anything for Chamakh to feed off today.

Full credit to the Palace fans, they have been brilliant throughout. They have not stopped singing and chanting despite watching their side put in a fairly uninspiring performance on the pitch. They could be key to Palace's survival this season, and it sounds like they know it.

Nobody comes to close Pozuelo down as they invite the Spaniard to shoot from range. He accepts the invitation, but it is a comfortable save for Speroni.

CHANCE! Big chance for Swansea to make it 3-0 late on, and I'm not quite sure how Michu messed that one up! He latched on to a through ball from Pozuelo and it looked to be a formality that he would slide it into the bottom corner, but he left the ball behind at the vital moment and Speroni was able to pounce on it.

This has been as comfortable an away win as Swansea will have all season. They have played very well and have bounced back brilliantly from a tough start to the season. This will be four games unbeaten for the Swans.

There will be five minutes of stoppage time at the end of this match, although I'm not quite sure where that amount of time has come from. Both sides would be happy to hear the final whistle now.

CLOSE! A rare highlight in the match for Palace as Gayle turns well and pokes the ball into the path of Campana. The Spaniard takes a touch before firing a powerful strike a yard or so over the bar from range. Vorm had it covered, but that is more positive play from the hosts.

Both sides are waiting for the final whistle now as this one is over as a contest. In truth, it was almost over as a contest when Dyer scored Swansea's second goal at the start of this half.

Swansea finish a fabulous week with a comfortable away victory over Crystal Palace. Goals at the start of either half gave the visitors all three points but, in truth, it was a dominant performance throughout.

Palace will be disappointed at their performance today. Selhurst Park will need to become a fortress if they are to stay in this division but, while the fans certainly played their part, the players did not. They failed to echo such unflinching support from the stands and put in a drab and uninspiring performance. Plenty to work on for Holloway. For Swansea, meanwhile, things a look up as they go four games without a loss and move into the top half of the table.

That is all we have time for this afternoon. Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for what proved to be a comfortable away win for Swansea as they beat Palace 2-0. Be sure to stick around for our match report, reaction and analysis, all of which will be on site shortly. If it is more live football you wanted, you can follow the day's two late kickoffs with us as we cover Cardiff vs. Tottenham and the big one - Manchester City vs. Manchester United. From me, though, it is goodbye!