Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew has praised his players for their diligence and hard work in securing a 2-1 win against Premier League champions Manchester City.
Despite being under siege for most of the game at Selhurst Park, the Eagles were two goals up by the 50-minute mark, and even though Yaya Toure scored in the latter stages of the game, the hosts were able to hold on for all three points.
Pardew told Sky Sports News: "For us, it was a huge night with the champions coming knowing they are under pressure. We were diligent and hard-working and got through with two quality moments.
"We just had to lean on our character tonight but we have some really good pros and that showed. In previous games we've shown more flair and exuberance but today was about the old traits that Tony [Pulis] leant on last year - the resilience and character - and it was just a shame that we didn't have enough offensive moments.
"We gave a good description of what Palace is tonight. We've got three games before we play the big boys again and we could still be involved in some defining moments but we hope to pick up some points before then and keep creeping up the league if we can."
Palace climb to 11th in the table and can lay claim to being influential in the title race for the second year in a row, after their emphatic 3-3 draw against Liverpool a year ago killed off the Reds' challenge.
Giuseppe Labellarte
