Crystal Palace ended 2019 with a point on the road as they drew 1-1 with an improving Southampton side at St Mary's.
Despite taking the lead through James Tomkins' header early in the second half, Palace were pegged back by the hosts, with Danny Ings netting his 14th goal of the season to earn a point for the Saints, capitalising on a mistake from Martin Kelly to score past Vicente Guaita.
Palace were then indebted to their goalkeeper in the closing stages for a couple of key saves to deny Southampton a winner, with the Spaniard saving well from Moussa Djenepo, Ings and James Ward-Prowse.
But Hodgson was pleased with the performance of his side as he reflected on a "wondrous year" for the Eagles, who currently sit ninth in the Premier League with 27 points from 20 games.
Below, we take a look at the talking points from the game on the south coast.
VAR
Not for the first time this season, Crystal Palace were left to rue a VAR decision.
Max Meyer thought he had given Palace the lead with his first goal of the season 15 minutes into the game, only for the goal to be chalked off following a review, with Wilfried Zaha adjudged to be offside.
It was a case of fine margins, with Zaha’s arm just ahead of that of Southampton defender Jack Stephens in the build-up to the goal.
But while Palace may have felt hard done by after what was a well-worked goal, Roy Hodgson was philosophical about the decision after the game.
He admitted that while it did not go in his side’s favour, there was no point in dwelling on it, adding that it simply wasn’t Palace’s day when it came to refereeing decisions.
However, some Palace fans had a very different view, while Match of the Day host Gary Lineker branded VAR “ludicrous” following the decision.
Vicente Guaita underlines his importance to Palace
Football matches are often referred to by the cliche of a “game of two halves”.
But that summed up Palace goalkeeper Vicente Guaita’s performance at Southampton perfectly.
In the first half, he gave his side a couple of moments of unnecessary panic with a dropped cross and a poor clearance that invited pressure from the hosts.
But in the second half, the Spaniard was the hero for his side, making three vital saves.
The first was a superb one-handed save to deny Southampton substitute Moussa Djenepo shortly after Danny Ings’ equaliser, while the former Getafe man was also on hand to make a smart save from Ings’ near-post header and to palm away a James Ward-Prowse free kick.
In the end, from almost costing his side in the first half, Guaita saved his side from defeat as Palace returned to south London with a hard-earned point, with the Spaniard once again underlining his importance to the Eagles.
The 32-year-old, who joined Palace on a free transfer in the summer of 2018, has recently been linked with Manchester City ahead of the January transfer window, as reported by Sky Sports, and with performances like this, it is clear to see why he has attracted attention, with Eagles fans singing a new chant for the Spaniard in the concourse at St Mary's.
Shot-shy Palace
It was a game that Palace may have felt they could – and possibly should – have won, having taken the lead and had a goal disallowed in the first half.
But the Eagles did not exactly pepper Alex McCarthy’s goal during the course of the 90 minutes, with only five shots at goal, and just two of those on target.
In contrast,Southampton had 14 attempts at goal in the game, with five on target, all of which came in the second half.
The Saints also dominated possession, with 60 per cent of the ball during the course of the game, while Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men also dominated the corner count, with 12 to Palace’s four.
The Eagles still posed a threat on the counter attack, but without Christian Benteke as an option from the bench, or the speed and guile of Andros Townsend and Jeffrey Schlupp, Palace looked short of an attacking threat.
Jordan Ayew worked hard up front, but barely had a sight at goal in what was a defensive display of resilience against an in-form Southampton.
