Crystal Palace 1-0 Southampton
by Gene Sylvester
at Selhurst Park

THE first Saturday 3pm kick off in the Premier League saw Selhurst Park play host to Southampton, with the two teams desperate for a positive start to the new campaign.

Southampton’s form in the second half of last season had them pitted as slight favourites, but it was Roy Hodgson’s men who took all three points with a 1-0 win, notching up Crystal Palace’s fourth opening-day fixture on the bounce without without conceding a goal.

The Saints’ dominance in the match’s early stages was almost rewarded after three minutes when a James Ward-Prowse corner was met by Jack Stephens, but his header towards goal was weak and easily gathered by Vicente Guaita in the Palace goal.