Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise inspired Crystal Palace to a 3-2 victory over Sheffield United before being forced off following injury scares in a wild game at Selhurst Park.
Palace boss Roy Hodgson, under pressure following a run of only one win in 10 games, watched his side fall behind to a well-worked Ben Brereton Diaz opener after only 20 seconds.
But Eze, joined in the starting line-up by the returning Olise for only the fourth time all season, hit back with two goals, his second, a stunning effort from long distance, coming after James McAtee had briefly put the Blades back in front in a hectic first half.
Olise, back in the team following a hamstring injury, was the creator of both of Eze’s goals and scored the winner himself with a long-range effort to rival Eze’s, his first-time strike crashing in off the post midway through the second period.
The duo’s withdrawals, in the space of eight minutes after Olise’s goal, put a slight dampener on the night for Palace, who also survived a late scare when Anel Ahmedhodzic headed against the bar.
But Hodgson hopes to have both available to face Brighton on Saturday. “They haven’t really been fully assessed,” he said. “Eze, for me, might be the one that concerns me a little bit more than Michael. But both of them were pretty upbeat after the game. With any luck, they’ll both be there.”
Palace will head to the Amex Stadium having moved up a place to 14th, the win over Sheffield United easing their relegation fears and piling more misery on Chris Wilder’s side, who now sit nine points from safety.
How Palace recovered to win
Crystal Palace’s 5-0 loss at Arsenal last time out ended in fan protests and it seemed another grim night lay in store when Brereton Diaz immediately punctured the atmosphere inside the ground.
It was a beautifully-worked goal from Sheffield United’s perspective, with Oli McBurnie flicking Jarden Bogle’s pass into the path of Gustavo Hamer, who drilled the ball out to Brereton Diaz.
The Chile international then motored into the space afforded to him by Palace’s sleeping defence before cutting inside and firing a precise finish into the far corner.
The goal set the tone for a crazy first half as Eze scored his first equaliser of the night with an acrobatic, close-range finish from Olise’s teasing, diagonal cross.
Palace’s relief was short-lived, however, as another rare Sheffield United attack yielded a goal, with the visitors robbing Eze in midfield then working the ball to McAtee, whose finish looped off Marc Guehi, over Dean Henderson and into the net.
Again, though, Palace claimed a quick response through the excellent Eze as he collected another Olise pass, dummied one way then went the other, creating space for himself to fire a sensational finish into the top corner from outside the box.
Palace became increasingly dominant as the half went on, with Eze and Olise at the heart of things as they pushed for a third before the break, but Sheffield United held on and continued to frustrate the hosts at the start of the second half.
Palace – who used the interval to introduce Daniel Munoz, their new signing from Genk – continued to push, while Sheffield United lost new goalkeeper Ivo Grbic to an apparent concussion, with Wes Foderingham coming on in his place.
The substitute goalkeeper had to be alert to thwart Olise from an angle, but he could do nothing about his stunning third goal soon after that, when the 21-year-old latched onto a loose ball and sent a brilliant, first-time finish whistling into the net off the post.
Olise then went down clutching his hamstring, however, his substitution for Jeffrey Schlupp booed by some Palace fans, and Eze soon followed suit having almost completed a hat-trick following a surging run into the Sheffield United box.
The visitors were emboldened by those withdrawals and went close to equalising when Ahmedhodzic’s header bounced back off the post, but Palace survived 11 minutes of injury-time to claim an invaluable win which eases the pressure on their manager.
Hodgson hopeful on Eze, Olise injuries
Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson said: “I’m very pleased. I thought our first-half performance attacking was outstanding. It was an exciting game, I thought Sheffield United certainly played their part.
“We’ve said all along that we think we have very good attacking potential. We don’t think our defending is bad either. With Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze on the field, Jordan Ayew back and Jean-Philippe Mateta playing well, suddenly we’re creating opportunities.
“Both Eze and Olise suffered very serious injuries that kept them out for a long period of time. For both, when they do come back to playing with the team, there’s always a risk you will reactivate that injury. I’m hoping now we will keep those two fit and on the field.
“They’re not lacking robustness, they’re just two players who have had very serious injuries. With Michael Olise, we’re happy he started the game. We were always going to take him off at a point.
“With Eberechi [Eze] he scored the goal and just before the goal he made a very strong run and felt his hamstring. It has not been assessed yet, but speaking to him he hasn’t felt like he’s pulled something.”
Wilder: Palace duo made the difference
Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder: “We believed we could come and get a win here. It was a fabulous start, a great goal to get us up and running. We were positive in our approach in terms of our selection and our tactical approach to the game.
“But we got pushed back and, obviously, I should imagine a lot of your guys’ talk and match reports will rightly be about the two players that decided a tight game and the quality they possess.
“I suppose that is what you’re up against in this league, minimum £50m players. I’m not sure [Palace sporting director] Dougie Freedman would accept £50m for either of those players.
“You have to deal with that. That’s what the Premier League is about. We could have done with Olise having a few more days off. But you want to play against the best players. When they find those moments, though, it makes it a difficult evening.
“We do prep and we do structure. We have a gameplan. But what happens is that they can destroy your gameplan through individual brilliance. Those boys find a way. The second and third finishes are brilliant.
“Sometimes, you have to hold your hand up and say these boys have got those moments in them.”
Analysis: Eze and Olise transform Palace
There was a moment in first-half stoppage time at Selhurst Park which encapsulated the brilliance of Eberechi Eze. After nonchalantly juggling the ball away from a Sheffield United defender, drawing gasps and applause from the home fans, he released Michael Olise with an incisive reverse pass. Style over substance? No. Eze is all about style and substance.
It was fitting that the pass was aimed at his partner in crime. Between them, Eze and Olise had the Blades chasing shadows. Injuries have restricted them to only four starts together this season. If they can stay fit, Palace can forget any relegation fears.
It is a big if, of course, given they both had to be substituted in the second half of Tuesday’s game, but it is in everyone’s interests – except those of Palace’s opponents – that they avoid any further absences. They are that good to watch in full flow.
It was difficult to pick between them against Sheffield United. Eze’s goals were brilliantly taken – the first in acrobatic style from close range, the second from distance following some bewitching footwork – but then so was Olise’s, powered in off the upright from outside the box to seal the victory.
Olise, of course, also grabbed two assists, his dazzling performance showing not even a hint of rustiness despite spending the last month on the sidelines with a hamstring injury. He was sensational. So was Eze. Palace are a different team when they are available.
