Ifill came off the bench to seal victory for impressive hosts Palace

Crystal Palace climbed to fifth in the Championship after cruising to a straightforward win over struggling Southampton at Selhurst Park.

Shefki Kuqi hit a superb volley in the ninth minute to put the hosts ahead.

Six minutes later Craig Beattie doubled Palace's lead with a powerful angled drive after Jose Fonte had helped John Oster's corner into his path.

The third goal arrived in the 75th minute when substitute Paul Ifill nipped in to fire home with ease.

Crystal Palace boss Neil Warnock on playing two games in three days:
"We had a lot of tired legs.

"Sometimes you have to win ugly and in the second half we were ugly but the result is the important thing.

"We won't play two games in two days too often."

"We should not have given away a free kick before the first goal and the second goal was bad defending.

"That was after 15 minutes and we were out of the game. We didn't look confident. The heads went down."

Crystal Palace: Speroni, Clyne, McCarthy, Fonte, Hill, Carle, Watson (Derry 30), Oster (Butterfield 48), Beattie, Kuqi, Scannell (Ifill 66).
Subs Not Used: Lee, Moses.

Booked: Hill.

Goals: Kuqi 9, Beattie 15, Ifill 75.

Booked: Perry.

Att: 13,799

Ref: Darren Deadman (Cambridgeshire).

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