Sam Allardyce believes the green shoots of Crystal Palace’s recovery are finally beginning to spring after moving out of the relegation zone over the weekend.

Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend got second-half goals for the Eagles as they beat former boss Tony Pulis’ West Brom 2-0 to move up to 17^th in the Premier League.

And the former England manager was impressed by the work rate of his charges, and hopes the release of some pressure will aid their upcoming performances.

He said: “Back-to-back wins is the start of our recovery and the performance, both in and out of possession, gave us the platform for victory.

“That’s a great lift for us all because we’ve got both sides of the game right today with the basics in place, and we nullified the opposition’s attacks and limited them to very few chances.

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“All the players are working hard and they’re doing that without really knowing it.

“The pressure is coming off them and they’re relieving themselves of that which they’ve been under for most of this season.

“When you get results that pressure lifts and you’re running around with more freedom not realising how much more running you’re doing, and you’re enjoying it a little bit more.”

In-form Spurs hitman Harry Kane admitted practise is making perfect at the moment after banging in a long-range effort against Everton on Sunday.

It was the first of two goals for the England striker against the Toffees at White Hart Lane, and his eighth in his last four games in all competitions.

That recent purple patch has taken Kane’s tally to a remarkable 24 for the season already, and he looks set to smash his landmarks of 28 and 31 for the last two campaigns.

But according to the 23-year-old England international, he is working harder than ever to ensure he is able to score from anywhere inside the final third, claiming Sunday’s strike was the fruit of many hard yards on the Enfield Training Centre pitches.

“It’s funny – me, Christian Eriksen and Eric Dier were just doing a bit of finishing after training from about that range,” said Kane.

“It was just a few strikes, but when I got the space in the game I thought ‘why not have a shot?’ It moved a bit in the air and it managed to sneak in.

“It probably wasn’t the best but that’s why you practice, for times like that, so luckily I struck it well and it went in.

“The most important thing is winning and we did that. It was probably a bit nervy at the end when it shouldn’t have been, but we got the three points and that’s all that matters.”

Defender Hector Bellerin could not hide his frustration at Arsenal’s slow start against Liverpool on Saturday evening.

The Spanish defender berated his side’s poor first-half display which saw Liverpool forwards Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino put the game firmly in Liverpool’s control.

Despite an improved performance after the break from the Gunners, including a consolation goal for Danny Welbeck, they could not salvage a draw eventually losing 3-1.

And Bellerin believes his side should be more offensive from the start after they were leapfrogged by the Reds into the top four.

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“We’re very frustrated with how the game went,” he said.

“After the tough weeks we’ve had, the team should have gone onto the pitch, motivated and ready from the start.

“We just need to start the games better. We need to push harder, to start the games with a better attitude and just go for it because we showed that when we go for it and want something, we can do it.

“It doesn’t matter about the other team, when we have the ball and push hard, we can score goals. It’s up to us to start the games with that desire, that motivation, and then we can get good results.”

Georginio Wijnaldum has urged his Liverpool teammates to strive for perfection in the season run in in they are to hold onto a top-four spot.

The Dutch midfielder scored the third in Jurgen Klopp’s side’s impressive 3-1 win over Arsenal on Saturday evening that lifted them to third in the table.

After defeat to Leicester City the game before, the Reds bounced back in fine style but consistency is key if they are to qualify for the Champions League next year.

“You can’t afford to lose games,” Wijnaldum said.

“It is always possible that you will not win but it is the way you play the game. You must play with the same intention: to win the game and give everything you have.

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“We have to make sure at the end of the season we are there. Now it is good for the confidence but if we are going to do it like we play before – playing well and then playing bad again – then it is going to be tough for us to come in the top four.

“We have to have a good run and be confident we can finish in one of the (Champions League) spots.”

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has dismissed talk that a fixture pile up is starting to catch up with Manchester United after they dropped points in the race for the top four.

The Swede missed a vital penalty as United were held 1-1 by Bournemouth on Saturday, and may receive a FA suspension after he appeared to elbow Cherries defender Tyrone Mings.

United are still in three competitions and have already lifted the EFL Cup this season, and on Thursday they travel to Russia to face FC Rostov in their Europa league last-16 first leg.

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Four days later, United visit Premier League leaders Chelsea in the FA Cup quarter-finals before they host FC Rostov at Old Trafford and visit Middlesbrough in the Premier League– a run which sees them play four games in ten days.

But veteran striker Ibrahimovic refuses to accept it is having a negative impact on their season.

“When you don’t win games, you try to find a lot of excuses,” he said.

“If we had won easily, nobody would have even asked if we play a lot of games, if we are tired or if we are not playing well.

“It’s like the cup final: we didn’t play well but we won. When you win it covers the things you want to ask, but we play a lot of games and I love to play football. It’s my passion.

“Every game we play, I enjoy them. It is a lot of games but it is not an excuse because I have done this for 15 years, and I have always played 50 to 70 games a year.”

Leicester City’s 3-1 success over Liverpool was crucial in giving them the confidence to overcome relegation rivals Hull on Saturday, according to interim manager Craig Shakespeare.

The Foxes were stung by a Sam Clucas goal on the counter attack after 14 minutes but bounced back with strikes from Christian Fuchs and Riyad Mahrez to take the lead.

A Tom Huddlestone own goal gave Leicester back-to-back wins since they departed with Premier League winning manager Claudio Ranieri.

And Shakespeare praised his side’s character to bounce back from the early deficit to secure consecutive 3-1 successes and move five points clear of the relegation zone.

He said: “It was a different game today against Hull than Liverpool and we spoke to the players about that. The character they showed to come from behind was tremendous.

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“When you’re losing and down on confidence it can be hard. Am I surprised? No, because I know this squad and what they’re capable of. To put together back-to-back wins is vital for them.

“I think momentum in football can swing and change during a game and I think that they benefitted from the confidence that they gained in the win the other night.

“We are in a results business and we needed to get the result to give us the environment to blossom. The win the other night gave them that confidence.”

Watford boss Walter Mazzarri has warned his players they are not safe from relegation after a dramatic 4-3 defeat to Southampton left his side just nine points clear of 18th-placed Middlesbrough.

The Hornets’ poor defensive display at Vicarage Road saw them concede two late goals which proved decisive.

And Mazzarri admitted his disappointment at taking just a point from the Hornets’ last two home games against Southampton and West Ham.

Watford are now preparing for what could be a pivotal game with Crystal Palace and Mazzarri has reiterated to his players that there are no easy games in the Premier League.

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“I am not happy because I was convinced that with more attention in the last two games we could have made another step towards safety,” said Mazzarri.

“Now we have to look ahead prepare for the game against Crystal Palace and the next home game after that.

“I don’t want my players to think we’re already safe from relegation.

“We saw that no game in the Premier League game is easy, anything can happen.

“We have to pay more attention and not commit any mistakes when we get the advantage.”

Depsite the disappointing loss, Mazzarri praised his skipper Troy Deeney, who netted his 100th league goal for the Hornets.

“It’s a pleasure for Troy, for sure, and we’re happy for him,” he said.

Dusan Tadic wants to continue in a central role to maximise his impact for Southampton between now and the end of the season.

Tadic played centrally against Watford on Saturday and scored one and assisted two in the Saints’ 4-3 victory at Vicarage Road.

And the Serbian international hopes he has made an impression on Claude Puel and will be able to stay in his favoured position.

“I’m happy as I think this is the best position for me, where I can have a lot of influence and I think everyone can see that,” reflected Tadić.

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“We need to play for each other and to make the right decision in the final third.

“Football is a quick game, you need to play quickly with one or two touches and then you need to concentrate to make the right decision. That goal from Nathan Redmond was very nice.

“We deserved that and it’s nice to win this game but we need to clear our moments to be better all game so we don’t have ups and downs.

“At 2-2 when they score, we were a little bit nervous and they had some counter-attacks. If they make it 3-2 it is difficult to come back.”

Former Crystal Palace striker Ian Wright believes keeper Wayne Hennessey is costing his side too many points as they battle to stave off relegation from the Premier League.

Despite the Eagles keeping a clean sheet in a 2-0 victory over West Brom, a result that lifted them out of the relegation zone, Wright believes the Welsh keeper has not maintained the consistency required.

With Frenchman Steve Mandanda out injured, Hennessey has kept club legend Julian Speroni out of the starting side and has kept clean sheets in his last two games.

But Wright is convinced that Palace boss Sam Allardyce has a problem on his hands with regards to his goalkeeping selections.

“I think that Mandanda has come in and I know he got injured, and Hennessey played well the other day, but with all due respect there’s mistakes in Hennessey, just like there is in any goalkeeper, but he does make mistakes that are costly,” said Wright.

“Most goalkeepers make mistakes but they are happening too frequently.

“So I know they’ve got Mandanda, who is a really good goalkeeper in France, but what Palace need is a goalkeeper that’s going to start in respect of saving games when they’re winning 1-0 etc.

“That’s what needs to happen and it’s not happening frequently enough.”

Martin Olsson admits he is grateful to have Fernando Llorente on his side after experiencing what it is like to face the Swansea striker in training.

Spaniard Llorente took his tally of goals for the season to 11 thanks to two headers in a 3-2 victory over Burnley at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday.

At 32 it took the forward some time to adjust to life in the Premier League but he has well and truly found his feet in England now, with Chelsea manager Antonio Conte rumoured to be interested in bringing Llorente to Stamford Bridge in the January transfer window.

But team-mate Olsson is glad he stayed – even if it means that he is in a few more rough rides in Swansea’s training sessions.

“What he is doing is fantastic. He is exactly what we need, if we cannot work the ball on the ground we can look to put the ball in to him and he is there,” said left-back Olsson.

“He is the same in training, he wins absolutely everything in the air and it is good to have him.

“He is a nightmare when we do attack against defence in training. All the lads try to avoid him. We try and elbow him a bit to put him off but he is a strong, strong guy.

“He has been at big clubs before, but he is a nice guy, a really humble guy and he works so hard. The whole team’s style of play suits him and it has been good.”