Southampton 1-2 Crystal Palace: Three key players
By Marc Walker
![SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 02: Southampton's Jeremy Pied in action during during the Premier League match between Southampton and Crystal Palace at St Mary's Stadium on January 2, 2018 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images) SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 02: Southampton's Jeremy Pied in action during during the Premier League match between Southampton and Crystal Palace at St Mary's Stadium on January 2, 2018 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/20c5e7e89f07cf577e98991676a4b772ddf7c64136a6f2dc66c72f3bd8bd8dff.jpg)
Alex McCarthy
One positive in the past week has been the introduction of Alex McCarthy to the side after a run of inconsistent form from Fraser Forster.
He looked confident and composed against Manchester United, and shows some of the same traits on Tuesday evening.
He claimed the ball on a couple of occasions, and made a great low save to deny Christian Benteke when Saints were 2-0 up.
Unfortunately, his defence didn’t help him with either of Palace’s two goals as he was left helpless with both strikes.