LONDON (AP) - Crystal Palace became the first club in Premier League history to lose its opening five games without scoring as Roy Hodgson’s first match in charge ended in a 1-0 defeat against Southampton on Saturday.
Steven Davis’s early strike ensured it was an unhappy return to club management for Hodgson, who replaced Frank de Boer after the Dutchman was fired just 77 days into his tenure.
Hodgson, whose previous job as England manager ended when the national team was knocked out of Euro 2016 by Iceland, restored a more traditional style to Palace’s setup at Selhurst Park.
However, it took just six minutes for Southampton to breach Hodgson’s four-man defense, as Davis pounced after Palace goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey pushed away Dusan Tadic’s cross-shot.
Palace came close to equalizing but Saints goalkeeper Fraser Forster saved well from Christian Benteke and Jason Puncheon either side of the break to preserve his side’s lead.
Palace remains bottom of the table, while Southampton has eight points from five games.
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