James McArthur hails Alan Pardew impact at Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace midfielder James McArthur has praised manager Alan Pardew for allowing the team to express themselves.

The Eagles pulled eight points clear of the relegation zone on Saturday thanks to a 3-1 victory over Queens Park Rangers.

Palace have now won three of their last six games in the top flight, and McArthur believes that their climb up the standings is down to Pardew's attacking philosophy.

"He has got us playing a style of play that we enjoy and everyone is really expressing themselves which is great for the fans to watch as well," the Scot told the club's official website. "The manager has been getting on at us to get bodies into the box because of the quality of our wingers.

"We just need to keep going. We're playing well but we need to keep winning matches and see where it takes us. We always try and do well and try to catch the teams above us and if we do that then we're not going to go down."

Palace are back in action on March 21 when they face Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium in the league.