Crystal Palace 2-1 Leeds: Odsonne Edouard and Eberechi Eze hit back for the Eagles after Pascal Struijk's opener as Patrick Vieira's side come from behind to end four-match winless run

• e-mail

At the end of it all, Patrick Vieira was a picture of insouciance. There was the shake of a fist as he strolled past the Crystal Palace fans in the late afternoon sunshine and the faintest smile playing across his face. Yet nothing could disguise that this was a win of real significance.

As Leeds dominated for most of the first half, you wondered where this season was going for him. His side were a goal down and labouring terribly when their goalkeeper dithered in possession and passed it straight to Leeds’ Jack Harrison. Boos rang out.

Vieira’s contribution to the turnaround was significant, with tactical shifts which were tangible. A more direct second half approach bypassed the relentless pressing which gave Leeds first half superiority.

Crystal Palace ended their four-match winless run after coming from behind to beat Leeds

Defender Pascal Struijk gave Leeds the lead with a close-range finish after 10 minutes

Odsonne Edouard headed in Michael Olise's free-kick to put Crystal Palace level

The wonderfully talented Michael Olise was released to his more natural position on the right. Leeds’ struggle to maintain their energy levels into the second half helped. Had the returning Patrick Bamford been able to convert an excellent chance with his side already ahead, it could have been a different story. Small margins.

But in the final reckoning, Palace simply had Wilfried Zaha and Olise – two players on a different level – to deliver themselves from would have been the jaws of the bottom three and leave Leeds asking themselves where all the bright August optimism has gone. The visiting team’s 3-0 win over Chelsea, 50 days ago on Monday felt like a sunny upland. There have been two points from five games since.

Jesse Marsch’s team are the Premier League’s second youngest. It will take time. And in Brendan Aaronson, the slight, slope-shouldered American Marsch signed to RB Leipzig before bringing him to Leeds, there are signs of potential.

Aaronson might not look like a physical threat but he demonstrated once again yesterday an ability to press hard out of possession and look for the forward, vertical movement when the ball is at his very quick feet. 

Wilfried Zaha (left) and Mateusz Klich (right) battle for the ball at Selhurst Park 

It was Aaronson’s very clear sense of attacking possibilities which saw him create Leeds’ opening goal. He threaded past three Palace defenders before executing a left foot shot which struck the base of the left post, rebounding out for Pascal Struijk to strike home under defender Joel Ward’s feet. It was also Aaronson who rolled a ball through, in tight space, to create Bamford with his outstanding opportunity. The forward shot too close to the goalkeeper.

Aaronson’s struggle to maintain this level - was substituted with 14 minutes to play - was one of the unfathomable aspects of the way Leeds faded. ‘Opponents are addressing him as player. He needs to find solutions,’ Marsch reflected last night.

As that threat diminished, Olise’s began to materialise. It had been a surprise to see him start the game in the centre, though when Vieira made the switch, bringing Jordan Ayew central to counter Leeds’ physicality, the London-born French under-21 international was flying.

The scoresheet tells us that Odsonne Edouard and Eberechi Eze delivered the vital interventions – Edouard heading home a free kick which a fractional VAR decision ruled legal and Eze capitalising on a rare mistimed tackle by Liam Cooper to stride beyond him and drive home.

But Olise was the one who lit up Selhurst Park with his dancing feet. And Zaha was the one who proved his international class. Clearly unhappy about his own left back Jeffrey Schlupp’s contribution in the first half, Zaha found more space in the second. He set up the winner with the delicious flick which eased Tyrick Mitchell‘s pass into the path of Eze.

Eberechi Eze struck in the 76th minutes to hand Eagles all three points

There must be acknowledgement of Leeds right back Rasmus Kristensen, who delivered a huge contribution to deter Zaha for much of the afternoon. His audible scream when he blocked Ayew, after Olise had played him in, spoke Olise played Ayew in, spoke for the Dane’s contribution.

In some ways, Marsch’s thoughts present a contradiction. His remonstrations with the fourth official as the teams left the field at half time here reflected an intensity which he wants to see in his players. Yet he is also asking them for less emotion and clearer heads. ‘We want our players to slow down a bit and execute with more quality but at a higher speed of play,’ he said last night.

But it’s all about goals, really. Marsch acknowledged that Bamford, appearing for the first time since leaving the field with an adductor injury at Southampton in August ‘can be part of the solution.’ Leeds need him fully match fit for the threat in the final third that Palace showed.

Both these teams feel an acute need to have established a position of relative safety when the game halts for a month for the World Cup next month. No-one wants four weeks of anxiety clinging to them as they wait for the Boxing Day restart. Vieira’s side have the flatter terrain before then.

‘We know how competitive it is and how tough to win two games in a row,’ he said on Sunday night. ‘Now we have to build.’ This is not a league for the faint-hearted.