Crystal Palace climbed into the top half of the Premier League after easing to victory against Norwich at Selhurst Park.
Three first-half goals from Odsonne Edouard, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Jeffrey Schlupp condemned the Canaries to the foot of the table at the end of 2021.
The visitors started brightly but found themselves a goal down after eight minutes when Kenny McLean fouled Will Hughes in the area and Edouard converted from the spot for his first goal since October.
Palace took charge from there with Hughes their driving force. He sprung forward and slipped in Mateta, who could only find the side-netting.
Mateta made it 2-0 with his first goal of the season seven minutes before half-time. Edouard pulled out to the left and played in a low cross that Mateta placed past Angus Gunn with superb precision.
Just seconds earlier, Jacob Sorensen squandered a superb chance for Norwich at the other end, and four minutes later, Schlupp added a third with a powerful finish from a tight angle.
Sam Byram clipped the top of the crossbar with a header in stoppage time, but Norwich’s defensive issues had already given them a mountain to climb.
Gunn did his best to keep the score down with an excellent double save to deny Schlupp and then Mateta in the second half, while Vicente Guaita was forced into rare action by a Przemyslaw Placheta strike.
In other news – Actress Natasha Thahane speaks on her life as Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s granddaughter
Actress Natasha Thahane is popular for her work on Skeem Saam, Saints and Sinners and now The Queen. The actress also happens to be the granddaughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu. She lets us into their lives.
The Soweto-born artist used to live with her grandfather. At 16, she moved in with him in Cape Town so she could study at Middleton High School. I call him “Khulu” and our relationship grew stronger when I moved in with him and his wife, my grandmother, Leah. Learn more
