Two penalties from former Blues striker Andy Johnson - who also scored the only goal at St Andrews - separated the sides, and although Palace were hardly any great shakes, Blues probably didn't merit anything out of the game after a pretty dismal display.
With Emile Heskey out suspended, Steve Bruce opted for Clinton Morrison - against his former club - to partner Walter Pandiani up front. The only other change was that the injured Mario Melchiot was replaced by Olivier Tebily - the man who came on for him when Melchiot hobbled off against Liverpool.
Blues actually started the game pretty well. Good work by Pandiani let in Julian Gray - yet another man involved in this match against former employers. Gray cleverly played a ball through to Morrison who was through on goal. Morrison though went too wide and ended up dragging a right foot shot across the face of the goal when he really should have scored.
Morrison was at it again just minutes later, from a Blues corner. From the Arthur Waite stand, which is down the side at Palace, it appeared that Pandiani's powerful header from a Jermaine Pennant corner was goalbound. However, Morrison crouched down and managed to divert the header wide via his head.
Palace began to grow into the game for two principal reasons. Firstly, Andy Johnson began to get himself more involved and started to cause Kenny Cunninghan and, in particular, Matthew Upson problems. Secondly, Palace began to disrupt Blues' play by kicking all the Blues players, with Mikael Leigertwood, Gonzalo Sorondo and Michael Hughes (guess who he used to play for?) the prime culprits. In fairness, Blues have used similar tactics in the past, so can't complain too much. What you can complain about is that it seemed to ease Blues off the pace a bit, and as a result Palace came into the match.
Blues did continue to get into important areas - both Pennant and Tebily got inside the area and to the byline, but couldn't capitalise with their crosses. At the other end, Tebily was continuing his current woeful run of form as he was dreadfully exposed. All of Palace's work was coming down their left, so straight at Tebily. Right-footed Wayne Routledge was posted on their left, and he and others gave the stand-in right back a torrid time. The question has to be asked as to why Bruce is persisting with Tebily as 'second choice' right back? If Melchiot is out, and Tebily is playing so poorly, why not bring in another body into central midfield (Diao or Nafti are both more than adequate) and switch Damien Johnson to right-back? Or, and the option I prefer, play Martin Taylor there. He never let Blues down in the position last season, and is a better defender than Tebily, is better in the air, and is composed on the ball.
Anyway, after 41 minutes Palace went ahead. Young midfielder Tom Soares surged into the box with three Blues playes around him. Referee Phil Dowd - who in general had a poor game for both sides - adjudged that Upson tripped Soares (from what I could see, I wouldn't argue) and that left it all down to Andy Johnson versus Maik Taylor. Johnson slammed the ball down the middle, was ordered to re-take the penalty due to encroachment, and then Taylor, obviously mindful of the 'slam down the middle' tactic didn't move as Johnson placed his second effort into the corner to make it 1-0.
If Blues had gradually got worse as the first half progressed, this decline in their performance continued into the second half. Palace were now on the up, and Leigertwood and Dougie Freedman both went close. Blues were really up against it now, and Freedman, Routledge and Johnson all missed further opportunities. Pandiani went close with a diving header from a corner for Blues, but they were struggling now.
Blues took off Morrison and replaced him with Robbie Blake, after yet another typical Morrison performance. Morrison whinged, fell over, wrestled with defenders rather than attempting to get the ball, whinged, missed chances, whinged, fell over, whinged and fell over. The way things are going, Morrison will be well down the pecking order, behind Heskey, Pandiani and probably Blake, and even possibly Kuqi soon. This was a big chance for Morrison, against his former club, and with a point to prove given all the press about AJ merely being 'a makeweight' in the deal that took Morrison to Blues. Like I say, it was a big chance, and he barely got a finger to it, let alone grasped it.
After 68 minutes, 'the makeweight' made it 2-0. Upson continued his recent inconsistent form by giving away a second penalty in the match - good going by any defender's standards. This time it was Johnson who he brought down, and it was Johnson again who finished well from the spot. THAT penalty in Cardiff 4 years ago to the weekend seems to have turned young AJ into quite the penalty taker these days.
Blues threw on Darren Anderton for Tebily, moving Damien Johnson to right-back, as they tried to get themselves back into the game. Late on Pennant shot straight at Gabor Kiraly when he should have scored, and Blake volleyed wide from a Gray cross. That was that though, and Blues had slumped to yet another disappointing defeat in a real strange season.
For Blues, too many players didn't perform. They were up against a team who weren't that good - that's the frustrating thing. When you go away and get beat 2-0, you don't mind so much if the home team have played really well. Here though, Palace were very, very beatable. Had Morrison taken either or both of his early chances, then things could have been very different. That's what it's all about at this level - taking such chances - and Morrison proved conclusively today that he's just not up to this level.
Two players did stand out for Blues, in that they kept going as much as they could, and they were still going late on when others had given up the ghost. Stephen Clemence and Damien Johnson put in performances not dissimilar to the way they played against Liverpool - unfortunately for them, those around them failed to maintain the same level.