Palace fell to a gut-wrenching last-minute defeat to Burnley having fought back from 2-0 down. Here are five things we learned from the defeat...

Attacking Progress Should Not Be Ignored

Despite the recent results, the quality of the team going forward has improved dramatically in terms of quality of player, the standard of passing moves which move the team forward and end product. Palace are the fifth highest scorers in the division and the game at Turf Moor showed why with Christian Benteke’s movement across the back line and deep and Wilfried Zaha’s more patient delivery. The movement and rotation of the central midfield trio further demonstrated the strides made by the team in this aspect. While a balance between attack and defence has not been achieved, the positives in our attacking play should not be understated.

Zaha’s Quiet Progress

A huge part of Palace’s attacking threat has been Wilf’s eye-catching development. He has already surpassed his statistical end-product from last season but he is now being noticed for more than the tricks and flicks which have entertained Palace fans for six years. His use of the ball has noticeably improved, he is less rushed on the ball and looks up more frequently than he used to. His cross for Conor Wickham was another example of his delivery being more considered. Much of this progress has happened under the radar without much media spotlight; that will change if he continues this development and it cannot be long until Côte d’Ivoire work to get Wilf on-board as England dither over calling him up.

There Was an Implemented ‘Plan B’

Much has been made of Pardew not having a ‘Plan B’ but on Saturday, it was evident that there was one and unlike previously, it was implemented with sufficient time remaining to impact the game. The switch the 4-4-2 enabled the wingers to pick the ball up deeper which in turn allowed Wickham to play closer to Benteke. The pressure from this resulted in them both getting on the scoresheet and giving Palace the chance to take something from the game. However, once back in the game, the manager’s oft criticised in-game management reared its head again and despite the introduction of Joe Ledley, Palace were easily exposed by Burnley as the home side looked to get on the front-foot again.

Centre-back Pairing Needs Consistency

James Tomkins was signed for £10-million with view to being Scott Dann’s partner throughout this season; but it is clear that  eleven games in, Pardew is struggling to decide upon his first choice pairing. The lack of defensive cohesion for the fourth game in row with a third centre back combination used makes it apparent that the coaching staff must settle on and stick with a pairing to enable a partnership to develop. The importance of this is magnified with a new goalkeeper looking to settle, full-backs in poor form or out of position and no shield in the centre of midfield.

Cabaye’s Excellence Shows Team’s Deficiency

Yohan Cabaye excelled on Saturday and showed his importance to the team leading the way in ground covered (11.67km), interceptions (6), touches (87) and passes in Burnley’s half. It is in spite of these statistics that the team still had gaping holes throughout central areas, a defence too easily exposed and a general lack of organisation. The issue Pardew needs to address is why Palace look so vulnerable while a player is doing as well as Cabaye is in that role; whether it is a player equally able in those areas next to him or going back to the first point of this piece – the balance between defence and attack. Ultimately, whether Pardew succeeds here will depend on him finding an answer to this quandary.