Cardiff 2-3 Crystal Palace: Bluebirds RELEGATED to the Championship following defeat to Eagles

Cardiff 2-3 Crystal Palace: Bluebirds RELEGATED to the Championship following defeat to Eagles
Cardiff have been relegated to the Championship following a 3-2 defeat at home to Crystal Palace.Neil Warnock’s men needed to win their final two matches to have a chance of overtaking Brighton, who enjoyed a four-point advantage and a far superior goal difference heading into the penultimate weekend.3

Cardiff have been relegated to the Championship

But clinical Palace played the familiar role of executioners as Wilfried Zaha, Michy Batshuayi and Andros Townsend scored, with Cardiff replying through a Martin Kelly own goal and Bobby Reid’s stoppage-time strike.Cardiff, as has so often been the case this season, were not short of commitment and energy, just a lack of quality, which has been their undoing this season.Against opponents, who have incredibly won nine times on the road compared to four at Selhurst Park this season, they were brutally punished, with Zaha at his brilliant best.Ironically Zaha, a former Bluebird loanee, was on the pitch the last time Cardiff were relegated from the top flight five years ago, alongside Aron Gunnarsson, who was playing his final home game for the club after eight years and over 280 games.Cardiff owner Vincent Tan had made a rare visit to the Welsh capital and he saw his side come close to taking the lead within 40 seconds. Josh Murphy’s drive from distance dipped devilishly to strike a post, but Cardiff’s momentum was slowed when the influential Victor Camarasa hobbled off after 10 minutes with what appeared to be a dead leg.Palace began to stroke the ball around with confidence and Zaha fired into the side netting as he began to torment his marker Lee Peltier.Cardiff failed to heed the warning as Zaha took Townsend’s return pass and planted a low shot into the bottom corner past goalkeeper Neil Etheridge.It took the Palace winger into double figures for the season, with nine of his 10 league goals coming away from home.Cardiff were level within three minutes when substitute Leandro Bacuna broke on to Reid’s pass and down the right to deliver a cross.It should not have a posed a problem to Palace, but the hapless Kelly diverted the ball into an empty net after the goalkeeper Vicente Guaita had gambled that the ball would reach him.GETTY3

Warnock said he was proud of his team after they were relegated

“Martin Kelly, he wants Brighton down,” sang the Palace fans mischievously, keen to see their great rivals rather than Cardiff go down.It was a lifeline for Cardiff, but Zaha was intent on cutting the cord. Zaha and Luka Milivojevic combined well and Batshuayi drove home after he had played a clever one-two with Jordan Ayew.Guaita saved from Bruno Ecuele Managa and Reid as Cardiff again responded well to falling behind, but Etheridge prevented Batshuayi’s point-blank header from extending the lead.Murphy made a horrible mess of Nathaniel Mendez-Laing’s cross after the break and Kelly blocked another attempt from the winger as Cardiff pressed frantically.Reid then slipped Kenneth Zohore clean through, but the substitute’s shot was kept out by Guaita.3

Andros Townsend celebrates his fine strike

Cardiff paid the price for those missed chances when Townsend drove from the halfway line, cut inside Joe Bennett and beat Etheridge from 20 yards via the near post.Mendez-Laing provided further proof that it was not to be Cardiff’s day, or season for that matter, when he failed to beat James McArthur on the goal-line and saw Guaita push another effort on to the post.Reid fired home a beauty at the death but Cardiff were down, as Palace added them to Hull, Stoke and Huddersfield as sides they have relegated in recent seasons.

---

Ghana national team captain Asamoah Gyan on Monday announced his retirement from international football just weeks before the 2019 Africa Nations Cup (AFCON). Apparently, Gyan, who made his
Ghana captain Asamoah Gyan retires ahead of Africa Nations

---

Roker Roundup: Lyle Taylor reveals the REAL reason why he turned down a move to Sunderland I felt that way on the day Sunderland released me. 25/05/2019 - Roker Report Jack Ross not worried for job as Sunderland prepare for play-off final Sunderland boss Jack Ross says he has 'made his peace' with the threat of him losing his job should owner
Ex-Chelsea ace Steve Sidwell sells Bentley to launch children

---

Get a report of the Paris Saint-Germain vs. AS Monaco 2018/19 French Ligue 1, Regular Season football match.
Manchester United, Chelsea, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain

---

Jan 13, 2019 · The former Leeds striker Phil Masinga has died at the age of 49, the club have announced. The South African played in the Premier League for the Yorkshire club for two years after joining from
Former Leeds United striker Phil Masinga dies, aged 49

---

talkSPORT.com round up all the biggest transfer news and latest football gossip from Monday's papers and online… West Ham striker Andy Carroll is a shock target for Tottenham as an emergency striker, with Harry Kane out with injury, according to reports.
NewsNow: Arsenal Transfer News & Rumours news

---

Following the furore surrounding Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho's celebration where he cupped his ear towards Juventus fans this week, The Moose brought up […] Sam Allardyce v The Moose: Big Sam in clash with talkSPORT reporter over his Jose Mourinho-style gesture to West Ham supporters
WHUFC News : 10/11/2018 #WHUFC #COYI #HUDWHU

---

Team news. Manchester City have just 15 fit senior players available and hand a third Champions League start to Phil Foden. City academy graduate Felix Nmecha is named on the bench following a series of impressive displays for the development squad.
Phil Foden starts his third Champions League clash

---

Man Utd news: Why Ander Herrera will sign new deal - could others follow? ANDER HERRERA will sign a new deal to keep him at Manchester United because of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, according to reports.
Manchester United news: Ander Herrera set to follow Ashley

---

Leeds United News: Former English striker Noel Whelan has blamed Pontus Jansson for Leeds United slump. (h/t Daily Star UK) Pontus Jansson The Swedish centre-back was insipid in the humiliating 2
Leeds 2-1 Bolton: Marcelo Bielsa's side into Carabao Cup

---

Spurs demand £80m for Eriksen after Madrid target tells club he wants to quit Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd But Eriksen faces being stuck at Spurs after chairman Daniel Levy slapped the
Tottenham news and transfers live: Interest in midfield

---

Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole played together at Chelsea from 2006 to 2014 Derby County are in talks to sign Ashley Cole - the former England and Chelsea team-mate of manager Frank Lampard - until
Ashley Cole signs for ex-Chelsea teammate Frank Lampard at Derby

---

Clinton Morrison says he feels Aaron Wan-Bissaka should stay put at Crystal Palace this summer, despite interest from Manchester United. The 21-year-old has had a superb season for Palace, winning the club's player of the year and players' player of the year awards after starring at right-back for the Eagles.
Manchester United's top right-back target Aaron Wan-Bissaka
thepeoplesperson.com/2019/05/02/manchester-uniteds-top-right-back-target-aaron-wan-bissaka-reveals-his-transfer-plans-206958/
Manchester United's top right-back transfer target Aaron Wan-Bissaka has revealed his plans for the next season. The youngster has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford, particularly
Aaron Wan-Bissaka 'tells Crystal Palace he wants to join

---

Steven Gerrard believes it would have been an injustice had Manchester United been denied the dramatic last-gasp penalty which gave them the 3-1 win over Paris St Germain and a place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Trailing 2-0 from the first-leg at Old Trafford, the Red Devils were
VAR prevented United suffering 'injustice' defeat against PSG

---