CRYSTAL Palace are into the fifth round of the FA Cup after a brilliant 3-2 win at Southampton this afternoon.
The Alan Pardew era has been nothing less than first class since the manager arrived at the start of January, with goals certainly the order of the day.
Marouane Chamakh and Yaya Sanago were the heroes for Palace, with the former grabbing a brace on the south coast following his comeback from injury.
It all means the south Londoners will be eagerly waiting until Monday night to find out who they get in the next phase, with Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham all dumped out of competition.
Wilfried Zaha placed a shot over from the edge of the box following a free-kick very early on, but it was the hosts who would take the lead on eight minutes through Graziano Pelle.
After Joel Ward had cut out a low cross for a corner, the set-piece was delivered by James Ward-Prowse to the back post and the Italian stabbed home just beyond Wayne Hennessey.
But the lead didn't last long as the Eagles hit back two minutes later thanks to the returning Marouane Chamakh from injury.
Yaya Sanogo was played in on the left-hand side of the box and took aim, only for Fraser Forster to partial save and Chamakh raced in to bundle home.
Cue wild celebrations from the 3,000 Palace fans but it was cut short five minutes later as the Saints regained the lead in unfortunate circumstances for the visitors.
Ryan Bertrand got to the byline and delivered low across the six yard box, but the ball deflected off the outstretched boot of Scott Dann and in at the near post.
However, in what was turning out to be a breath-taking cup tie down on the south coast, Palace grabbed their second equaliser of the afternoon on 21 minutes.
And it was Sanogo who got it to notch his first for the club, collecting a fine pass from Zaha on the left side of the danger area and firing beyond Forster.
Southampton threatened with a couple of carbon copy strikes from long range – by Ward-Prowse and Steven Davis – but it was Palace who grabbed their third six minutes before the break.
Joel Ward played a brilliant ball over the Southampton backline for Chamakh to control superbly.
The Moroccan waited for Forster to commit himself before rounding the custodian and firing home to send the travelling faithful crazy once again.
The majority of St Mary's was shellshocked, but Palace were firing on all cylinders in what had been a fantastic start to life under manager Alan Pardew.
Sanogo had a good chance to grab his second and Palace's fourth on the stroke of half-time but curled over the crossbar from a free-kick.
Into the second half and Fraizer Campbell went down in the box after a clever link-up with Sanogo, but a corner was given instead, from which Dann rose to power a header narrowly over.
Chamakh won the Eagles a free-kick in a dangerous position on the hour, from which he headed James McArthur's delivery across the box only for Sanogo to miss with an attempted scissor kick.
Jason Puncheon came on for Chamakh after 65 minutes to standing ovation from the away fans, before Zaha burst through the middle on the break but his ball to Sanogo was overcooked and the chance had gone.
The game lulled for the first time with 20 minutes or so remaining, before Pardew decided to take off Sanogo and put on an extra man in defence in the form of Adrian Mariappa.
And with nine minutes remaining, Glenn Murray came on for Campbell.
Saints piled the pressure on as you'd expect but they couldn't break the Palace door down, with Pardew's men holding on comfortably to advance through.
Palace: Hennessey, Ward, Kelly, Dann, Delaney, McArthur, Ledley, Zaha, Campbell (Murray 81), Chamakh (Puncheon 65), Sanogo (Mariappa 77).
Subs Not Used: Speroni, Hangeland, Bannan, Gayle.
Attendance: 31,320 (3,255 Palace fans)
Referee: Jonathan Moss
Report by Mark Ritson, at St Mary's Stadium
