After a couple of recent outings in midfield, the versatile Colombia international stepped back into the defensive line at the Amex Stadium – and was outstanding.
No player on the pitch won more duels (12), made more clearances (nine) or completed more tackles (four) than Lerma, who also had the most touches (59) and completed the most passes of any Palace player (41).
Those numbers contributed heavily to our ninth clean sheet of the season – the joint-third best defensive record in the Premier League this season – which in turn paved the way for Ismaïla Sarr's second-half strike to prove a memorable matchwinner.
Lerma earned 34.4% of your votes at the Amex, with Sarr in second on 30.1% in a high-voting poll.
Also scoring highly were Maxence Lacroix (7.2%), Jørgen Strand Larsen (6.6%), Will Hughes (6.2%), Evann Guessand (6.0%) and Dean Henderson (5.5%) – but it was, overall, a fantastic team performance.
See the full results of your Player of the Match poll below!