Roy Hodgson hails Jordan Ayew's resolve after emerging as Crystal Palace hero again against Aston Villa

Ayew scored the winner against Villa on Saturday.
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Jordan Ayew more than deserves to be back amongst the goals after bagging his second in a row for Crystal Palace to claim all three points against Aston Villa.

The striker, signed from Swansea over the summer having spent last season at Selhurst Park on loan, has already double the amount of Premier League goals that he managed last term.

Hodgson was ready to introduce Andros Townsend and Christian Benteke when Ayew slipped between Tyrone Mings and Jack Grealish and opened the scoring.

Twice now Ayew has been handed the chance to lead the line by Hodgson and the Ghana international has impressed on both occasions.

In Pictures | Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa | 31/08/19

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“I'd still be heaping praise on him if he hadn't scored," Hodgson said. "The number of times he does the tactical work for us, not just attacking but defending too. When he puts icing on that cake but scoring last week and this week, then it's happy days. For him in particular.

"They're happy days that he deserves. He didn't get the opportunities as he would have liked last year, and found himself on the bench, but never once did he stop working hard in training. Players like that, when their moment arrives, you feel really happy for them.”

Aston Villa were denied a late equaliser when Grealish was harshly adjudged to have dived in the build up to a finish by Henri Lansbury.

"For me, I didn't understand the officials' decision making today," Villa boss Dean Smith said. "If you're Jack Grealish, I'd be raging. He's having his integrity questioned. He's made a great run, laid it off for Henri Lansbury to score.

"He's had his integrity questioned not only by the officials here, but in Stockley Park as well. Jack wasn't even looking for a foul.”

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