It was only the second point of the season on their travels for Neil Warnock’s team on a frustrating afternoon for Eagles boss Roy Hodgson.
Yet it could have been all so different had Andros Townsend converted a straightforward opportunity in the first minute following good approach play by Wilfried Zaha and Cheikhou Kouyate.
But Townsend, whose Goal of the Season contender set Palace on their way to victory at the weekend, could only prod his shot against the bar.
And that was to prove as good as it got for two teams who played as though they didn’t have a care in the world despite their perilous positions in the bottom half of the table.
Zaha, seemingly incapable of playing the ball until he had completed at least one stepover, flashed one wide of the far post as cautious Cardiff backed off.
Townsend blazed another decent chance over from Patrick van Aanholt’s pull-back before Max Meyer’s shot on the turn was blocked by Sol Bamba.
Cardiff’s only chance of a desperate first-half came when Bobby Reid headed over from Victor Camara’s cross, which means that they are still only the team not to be ahead at the interval this season.
And they were soon back on the defensive seven minutes after the break when Kouyate volleyed a close range opportunity over following Sean Morrison’s poor clearance.
Meyer, Zaha and James McArthur all failed to hit the target as Palace looked to turn the screw before Luka Milivojevic struck the post with a 77th minute free-kick
And even the introduction of Connor Wickham for his first game at Selhurst Park in more than two years could not break the deadlock.
Source: Read Full Article