The fifth round of the English Premier League season got underway with Friday night’s game between Bournemouth and Brighton at the Vitality Stadium, with Bournemouth desperate to claim their first points of the season. However, Brighton opened the scoring early in the second half when Solly March’s header finished off a cross from Pascal Gross, but an equaliser from Andrew Surman was followed by a low drive from Jermain Defoe into the bottom left hand corner of the net, both provided by Jordan Ibe, for Bournemouth to claim the three points, and leave Crystal Palace as the sole remaining pointless side.
Saturday’s early kick off saw Crystal Palace face Southampton at Selhurst Park in Roy Hodgson’s first game in charge as the new manager, and the game was settled by a 5th minute strike from Saints’ Steven Davis which gave Southampton a 1-nil victory and consigned Crystal Palace to an unenviable top flight record of losing their first 5 consecutive games of the season without scoring a goal. With the next 3 EPL games against the current top 3, the two Manchester clubs and Premier League Champions Chelsea, more dark days appear to lie ahead for the South London side, and could lead to such a lack of confidence if the results are bad, that they will struggle to make any impact in reducing any headway against the points difference to the teams above them over the remainder of the season.
