Two games running Palace have needed to go a goal down before getting started.

For the first 15 minutes against Swansea every clearance went straight to an opposition player or to a huge empty space.

Yet immediately after the matter-of-fact Mile Jedinak spot kick, everything instantly seemed more composed, accurate and incisive.

Was the penalty unfair? The commentator on my stream certainly thought so.

In my slightly biased eyes, Jonjo Shelvey rolled Marouane Chamakh with his upper body.

It might have been soft, and I hate to give this as Shelvey’s evidence of guilt, but the Swansea players barely argued.

Plus Gary Monk hardly bemoaned the decision much after the game - and he loves a good FA-fine-inducing rant.

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Chamakh played well again, better than expected up top on his own for large portions of the game, but he showed a hot-headed, tempestuous side and could've been sent off.

Jason Puncheon on the other hand looks totally out of ideas. If he can't work it onto his left foot to shoot he slows the move to a snail's pace before half-heartedly touching it to a spare man in red and blue.

He seems uninspired, slow and unwilling to try anything else.

Remarkably, the early Dwight Gayle substitution was almost as influential as the penalty in changing the game.

James McArthur came on and quickly added steel, strength and numbers to the Palace midfield.

Not only that, but the Scot showed exceptionally quick feet and controlled, composed and instinctive one-touch passing throughout his time on the pitch.

I might not have agreed with the NBC co-commentator about the penalty, but I was nodding my head vigorously as he labelled McArthur a man of the match contender.

He barely made a mistake, his positional sense was exactly what we needed and he showed perfect use of the ball in a nearly faultless seventy minutes.

Another one of the biggest and brightest positives for the Eagles - a revelation almost - came at left back, with Martin Kelly competently and impressively marshalling his unnatural flank, allowing Joel Ward return to his preferred position at long, long last.

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Tussle: Joel Ward and Jefferson Montero

One of the biggest travesties on Saturday wasn’t on the field, it was on the BBC.

For some unbelievable reason the Eagles were last in the running order – despite Liverpool v Stoke City’s dire 1-0, West Brom and Arsenal’s one goal damp squib and Chelsea’s bore draw at the Stadium of Light.

I’m not one of those people who gets upset about these things and tweets Gary Lineker abuse. But this was ridiculous.

Yes, it wasn’t a great performance by either side, but it was an entertaining tie with noteworthy incidents, two goals, occasionally exhilarating counter attacks and some very good saves – particularly from Lukasz Fabianski.

And Jedinak’s touching pre-match tribute to cricketer and fellow Aussie Phillip Hughes deserved to be seen by a few more people than those hardly souls still awake at the end.

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In memorandum: Mile Jedinak's tribure to Phillip Hughes