He said: “All defeats are frustrating, especially with the way we went about our game in the second-half which was very much on the front foot, taking game to Burnley. We created lots of situations in and around their penalty area, but unfortunately, the last pass or shot wasn’t there, and when it was, we found the goalkeeper in excellent form.”
Hodgson was philiosophical about his defence's rare inability to clear its lines in presenting the opportunity to Chris Wood to score the game's only goal, as his back-line typically form such a reliable bed-rock for his side.
He said: “We presented them with a fairly simple opening goal; these things happen. I’m not blaming anybody for it – but it was pretty much a gift to put them in the lead. After that, we defended well and limited to one chance after that. But it was enough because we couldn’t take the opportunities that we created.
“I thought that the quality of our midfield play was good enough to present enough chances for a goal. But the goalie was in good form, and they played well in their box as they tend to - they’re keen to block. With a little bit more attention to the final pass we would have created even stronger chances. But certainly in the game there were four or five gilt-edged chances to score, and if you do that against a team like Burnley that means you’re playing ok, but to get something out of the game you’ve got to take your chances.”
Hodgson was pressed on his level of concern for the lack of goals in light of Wilfried Zaha’s enforced absence, a question he was quick to put to bed: “We’ve scored 12 this season after 9 games. There are goals in the team. We do have players who can and will score. There are 29 games to go, and goals will come from lots of different sources – I’m convinced of that.”
Ending on a more positive note, Hodgson was asked about his views on today's news that a limited number of fans will be allowed to return to stadiums from the end of the national lockdown on December 2nd, subject to the relevant tier that that club’s region is in at the time. He expressed sympathy for those club officials tasked with navigating the demand for tickets exceeding supply, adding: “It’s a very positive step, I’m grateful we’re moving in that direction. Hopefully it will be a first step in the aim of getting fans into the stadium for real - in the numbers that normally attend the games.”
For more post-match reaction, head to Palace TV on the club’s free and official mobile app.