Bournemouth lost their fourth Premier League game in a row as they were beaten 1-0 by 10-man Crystal Palace, who themselves move into fifth ahead of the remaining midweek games.
The game could not have started worse for the Eagles as Mamadou Sakho was sent off in the 19th minute after catching Adam Smith on the knee with a high foot, before Patrick van Aanholt was taken off with an injury not long after.
Chances were at a premium for much of the Selhurst Park encounter, but it was a moment of magic from Jeffrey Schlupp in the 76th minute – firing home after a wonderful solo run from midfield – that secured a second successive Premier League victory for the hosts.
But for Bournemouth, they have now lost their fourth consecutive league game and stay in 12th with 16 points while Crystal Palace move onto 21 points.
Chances were scarce in the first half and Crystal Palace suffered a blow when they went down to 10 men inside 20 minutes. It was a reckless tackle from Sakho, launching into a high, studs-up challenge on Smith and catching him on the knee. Referee Anthony Taylor was straight over to brandish a red card with Sakho’s first start since September over quickly.
Things got worse for the Crystal Palace defence when, seven minutes later, Van Aanholt went down with an injury, thought to be his hamstring. He came off shortly after, heading straight down the tunnel, as Schlupp came on in his place.