Crystal Palace were clinically despatched by a confident Southampton side 2-0 at Selhurst Park on Tuesday night.

Defeat meant the Saints leapfrogged their opponents into ninth, while Place slipped into the lower half of the table.

Southampton, a side who will unfairly be remembered for their 9-0 thumping by Leicester City earlier in the season, were fantastic.

The reason they looked fantastic was because they looked like they had energy.

Palace sadly, did not.

Hodgson named the same side that started the gruelling encounter at Manchester City three days ago, ten of whom played the game previously, Cenk Tosun the man coming in.

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The side looked stale, devoid of ideas, and in desperate need of an injection of life.

In Van Aanholt, Schlupp, Sakho, Benteke, Townsend and Milivojevic, Hodgson spoke of players returning from injury and suspension that will boost his pool of players.

It will undoubtedly increase his options, but many feel Palace have been treading water for too long, and that now is the time to strengthen Hodgson’s threadbare squad.

Many Palace fans felt that defeat to Saints was an indication of things to come if the issue of a small squad wasn’t addressed in the transfer market.