Crystal Palace emerged with a creditable draw against West Ham at the weekend, a fixture that’s as notable for having the two oldest managers in the Premier League battling it out against each other as it is for anything else.
It was the third game in a row that the Eagles hadn’t managed to win, however, after Mohammed Kudus game the Hammers the lead, the game could’ve slipped away from the visitors.
To Hodgson’s credit, he managed to inspire his team to earn a point, though Odsonne Edouard’s 53rd-minute leveller owed much to the inability of Konstantinos Mavropanos’ inability to clear his lines.
One Palace player that could be said to have been a surprise inclusion was Chris Richards, though he acquitted himself well in an unfamiliar role.
“I wasn’t expecting it, but I just want to be on the pitch – so whatever it takes!” he said to Palace TV (h/t the official Crystal Palace website).
“It was something! It was a bit more defensive than anything, so I enjoyed that aspect, but I just liked being on the pitch and getting a point.
“There’s a bit of similarity [to centre-back]. I’m just not used to the ball going over my head like that, so that was something that took a bit of getting used to, but I enjoyed it today.
“I was kind of surprised to play it, but I feel like I did pretty well.”
Unable to push forward and take all three points from the London Stadium, Palace’s solitary point saw them in 13th at the end of play.
Should results go against them, they could be as low as 15th after the next round of matches.
West Ham meanwhile have a London derby date against Tottenham with a win potentially taking them into the top seven if Man United are unable to beat Chelsea on Wednesday night and Brighton stumble against Brentford.