Cardiff v Crystal Palace

Cardiff 2

Noone 44′ Gunnarsson 73′

Crystal Palace 1

Jedinak 4′

FT 90 +5
HT 1-1

Aron Gunnarsson

Cardiff City went five points clear at the top of the Championship after coming from behind to beat promotion rivals Crystal Palace.

Australian international Mile Jedinak put the visitors in front after four minutes, before Craig Noone equalised for the hosts just before half-time.

Substitute Aron Gunnarsson headed home the winner with 17 minutes remaining.

The Welsh side's victory proved even sweeter with news that second-placed Hull only drew at home with Leicester.

It could prove to be a crucial victory for Cardiff, who showed plenty of resolve after going behind.

Eagles captain Jedinak stunned the majority of the sell-out crowd by nodding home his second goal of the season, and things could have gone from bad to worse for the home fans when Wilfried Zaha cut inside and rattled the crossbar.

But the hosts drew level when Craig Bellamy got clear down the left and cleverly pulled the ball back for Noone to gleefully hammer home.

Gunnarsson and Whittingham both went close as the Championship leaders began to dominate after the break, and the Icelandic midfielder got the winner when he converted Bellamy's corner via the underside of the bar.

Cardiff's Peter Whittingham could have doubled City's lead but saw his free-kick tipped onto the bar.

Cardiff manager Malky Mackay:

"It took until the half an hour mark for us to really get into the game and get on the front foot. From then on in I thought we were excellent.

"They got the message at half-time when we had a chat. I asked them their thoughts on where they thought their level of performance could go and they got there.

"They know if they work hard and step on like we did in the second half then we have footballers who can open teams up.

"It is about patience and doing the correct things and that is what they did."

Crystal Palace manager Ian Holloway:

"We started well and ended terribly. I thought we stopped creating chances and in these games you can't do that and you have to keep going. It was as simple as that.

"You know with this crowd like it is Cardiff are going to come back and in the end I am bitterly disappointed in the last 15 minutes because if any side looked like they were going to score a goal it was Cardiff.

"After they scored I don't think my team did what they needed to do, in fact they did worse and not better.

"There was a lot about us that I was delighted with but I just didn't like the way we ended the game. We have got to look at that part of ourselves because that could be crucial come the end of the season."

Lineup, Bookings (7) & Substitutions (5)

Cardiff City

01 Marshall
02 McNaughton
03 Taylor
05 Hudson Booked
06 Turner
07 Whittingham
11 Conway
16 Noone Booked (Mason - 76' Booked )
18 Mutch (Gunnarsson - 46' )
22 Helguson (Gestede - 57' )
39 Bellamy

Substitutes

32 Lewis
08 Cowie
13 Kim Bo-Kyung
17 Gunnarsson
24 Lappin
15 Gestede
20 Mason

Crystal Palace

01 Speroni
21 Moxey
28 Ramage
33 Gabbidon
04 Parr Booked (Easter - 87' )
07 Bolasie Booked (Moritz - 74' )
08 Dikgacoi Booked
10 Garvan
15 Jedinak
16 Zaha Booked
17 Murray

Substitutes

34 Price
06 Martin
20 Williams
22 O'Keefe
30 Moritz
19 Easter
24 Appiah

Ref: Gibbs

Att: 26,098

Match Stats

Possession 48 52

Shots

12 10

On target

6 3

Corners

3 5

Fouls

12 24

Live Text Commentary

90:00 +4:04 Full time

Full Time The referee blows his whistle to end the game.

90:00 +2:38

Rudy Gestede takes a shot from just inside the penalty box which clears the crossbar.

90:00 +0:43 Booking

Booking Joe Mason is cautioned.

89:52

Foul by Wilfried Zaha on Craig Conway, free kick awarded. David Marshall restarts play with the free kick.

89:07

Unfair challenge on Glenn Murray by Mark Hudson results in a free kick. The free kick is swung in left-footed by Owen Garvan.

86:27 Substitution

Substitution Jermaine Easter on for Jonathan Parr.

84:08

Daniel Gabbidon has an effort at goal from long range that misses to the right of the target.

83:30

Corner taken by Owen Garvan played to the near post, Rudy Gestede makes a clearance.

83:30

Corner taken left-footed by Owen Garvan from the right by-line to the near post, Rudy Gestede manages to make a clearance.

82:37

Unfair challenge on Kagisho Dikgacoi by Rudy Gestede results in a free kick. The free kick is delivered left-footed by Owen Garvan from right channel, clearance made by Peter Whittingham.

81:45 Booking

Booking Kagisho Dikgacoi receives a yellow card for dissent.

81:19

Joe Mason is ruled offside. Julian Speroni takes the free kick.

79:36

Aron Gunnarsson fouled by Andre Moritz, the ref awards a free kick. Direct free kick taken by David Marshall.

77:33

Unfair challenge on Craig Conway by Dean Moxey results in a free kick. Shot comes in from Peter Whittingham from the free kick.

75:22 Substitution

Substitution Joe Mason replaces Craig Noone.

75:22 Booking

Booking The referee books Jonathan Parr for unsporting behaviour.

75:04

Jonathan Parr concedes a free kick for a foul on Craig Noone. Direct free kick taken by Andrew Taylor.

73:54

Foul by Kevin McNaughton on Kagisho Dikgacoi, free kick awarded. The ball is crossed by Owen Garvan, Dean Moxey takes a shot. Peter Whittingham gets a block in.

73:25 Substitution

Substitution Andre Moritz on for Yannick Bolasie.

72:35

Assist on the goal came from Craig Bellamy.

72:35 Goal scored

Goal - Aron Gunnarsson - Cardiff 2 - 1 C Palace Aron Gunnarsson finds the back of the net with a headed goal from inside the six-yard box. Cardiff 2-1 Crystal Palace.