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Cape Town - A stunning goal from Wilfried Zaha was enough to earn Crystal Palace a 1-0 win over Huddersfield Town at Kirklees Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday.
A frenetic start saw end-to-end action but there weren't many decent chances created as play was dominated by defence and midfield.
Despite this, it was an intriguing encounter to witness as both sides looked to break down their well-organised opponents in increasingly creative ways.
The first major chance of the half to Steve Mounie in the 18th minute after some brilliant build up play by Aaron Mooy, but the Benin striker's header sailed over the bar.
The intense tug-of-war continued throughout the half and it became more and more apparent that it would need a moment of genius to break the status quo. Step in Wilfried Zaha.
The English winger played a quick one-two with Jordan Ayew before taking a few step-overs to wrong-foot his markers and cut between Florent Hadergjonaj and Philip Billing before thundering the ball into the back of the net to give Crystal Palace the lead in the 38th minute.
Anyone hoping the goal would make the game more open was sorely disappointed as the Eagles were perfectly content to sit back with a one goal lead away from home.
They rarely ventured out of their own half but were therefore able to thoroughly frustrate any forward movement their hosts tried to make.
The only real chance of the second period fell to Mooy, who latched on to a looping pass from Chris Lowe and thumped his volley agonisingly on to the post.
While there may be some willing to criticise for their defensive tactics, especially after the goal, Crystal Palace and their fans will be delighted to be heading home with their first Premier League win of the season.
