Édouard enables Crystal Palace to rise above Sheffield United and Guaita row

At 76 Roy Hodgson has been around the football block a few times but hearing that his goalkeeper Vincente Guaita had answered the tweet from Crystal Palace account’s listing today’s XI, half an hour before kick-off, with “where is my name” was surely a new one on him.

Guaita is out of favour after refusing to play in pre-season for Palace so who he was blaming – other than himself – is a puzzle. Given how little Sam Johnstone was troubled, Guaita can kick himself at missing an easy outing, as this contest was decided by a throwback of a Odsonne Édouard strike. Palace’s No 9 stuck a boot out to poke past Wes Foderingham, Sheffield United’s goalkeeper, after Jordan Ayew dropped a shoulder to gain a yard on Ben Osborn before whipping over a classic slicing cross from the right.

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Heckingbottom’s analysis of this reverse can correctly surmise that United were not embarrassed but Palace did breach Foderingham’s goal twice more, even if the efforts of Ayew (in the first half) and Édouard (after his winner) were rightly flagged offside.

Manager’s programme notes should not be a hotbed of news yet another Heckingbottom sentence caught the eye, as he wrote: “It would be remiss if I did not mention our biggest concern, losing very influential players as we have.” Referring to the loss, here, of Sander Berge (to Burnley) and Iliman Ndiaye (Marseille) did not read as a vote of confidence for the XI he sent out for this return to the big time after two seasons in the Championship.

Will Osula, a 20-year-old with seven league substitute appearances, was the effective replacement for Ndiaye, operating as the lone forward. His first shot beat Johnstone, though not his right post.

For Palace, Eberechi Eze drove at the home rearguard and saw an effort blocked, Hodgson’s team likewise sought to kickstart a new era, which might be called “life after Wilfried Zaha”, after the 30-year-old’s move to Galatasaray.

Hodgson operated a 4-2-3-1 that cancelled out the Blades’ 5-4-1 and so the first half was the stalemate that might be expected from sides whose first instinct is to retain top-flight status. Cheick Doucouré’s pea-roller which Foderingham dived to his right to save was a rare attempt at breaking the impasse.

An upping of pace was required and a Osborn-George Baldock combination that sent the latter flying down the right-back’s flank, swerving infield and crossing, showed how. Palace escaped yet if the Bramall Lane faithful were lifted this proved no new dawn of high-octane play – Oliver Norwood’s daisycutter that took an age to reach Johnstone a better barometer of the fare.

Palace dominated after the interval. It would need a flash of United quality to draw level, at least. Bénie Traoré had the chance to illustrate he could provide it but on racing in his pass went to absolutely no one and so with 10 minutes left Heckingbottom made a triple change – the No 11 lucky to remain involved.

The United’s manager move did not work and with less than three weeks left of the window he has about £20m in the kitty to strengthen his squad. Gustavo Hamer, for £15m, has come in as Berge’s replacement but this evidence firmly suggests Heckingbnotom will have to be a transfer-market magician to acquire the stardust needed to avoid each match day being the latest instalment in an unwanted underdog narrative.