Reflecting on the performance, Alonso admitted Palace were slow out of the blocks before growing into the contest: “I think we started a little lethargic. The first 20 minutes weren’t very good, but as the game went on we improved.
“We spoke with the boys at half-time and in the second half I think we were much better.”
A tactical adjustment after the break helped Palace take control, with Alonso explaining: “We changed the shape slightly to a 5-3-2 with two strikers and two wide players.
“That allowed us to play more balls into the strikers, more passes in behind and have more transitions. We created a lot more chances in the second half.”
Despite Palace’s dominance, the head coach felt the scoreline could have been settled earlier: “We had many chances and didn’t punish them. For that reason, they made it 2-2 – maybe it was a penalty, I’m not sure, but it doesn’t matter.
“The boys showed very good character in the second half. We scored late, but 4-2 is a good result. I’m happy with the three points, but I still think we can do better.”
