MOTD pundit Garth Crooks 'not entirely sure' how Luton defeated Crystal Palace

Match of the Day pundit Garth Crooks continued his long-running efforts to put a downer on the Hatters’ efforts in the Premier League this season by declaring he wasn’t ‘entirely sure’ how Luton were able to pick up a first home Premier League win of the season when beating Crystal Palace at the weekend.

A first look at the final score would probably tell him just how it happened, Rob Edwards’ side scoring two to the visitors’ one, while the former Spurs winger’s Team of the Week for the BBC, as per usual, didn’t contain a single Town player.

It did include Eagles winger Michael Olise though, the former French U21 international curling home a brilliant goal to make it 1-1.

Although it wasn’t enough to prevent the visitors from leaving Kenilworth Road empty-handed, in his comments about picking the ex-Reading youngster, Crooks managed to get another sly dig in at Luton’s achievements on the day, having already stated they will be relegated by Christmas in an earlier column.

He said: “I'm not entirely sure how Luton won this match against Crystal Palace.

"Losing Cheick Doucoure and Eberechi Eze so early in the game clearly had something to do with Palace's defeat. However, they have a player in Michael Olise who is clearly going to be as important to Crystal Palace as Wilfried Zaha was during his time at the club but hopefully without the attitude. His 74th-minute equaliser was sensational and should have been enough to secure the Eagles a point.”

Crooks also, as is becoming the norm, bizarrely used his comments to go off topic and praise opposition manager Roy Hodgson for his ‘cutting and biting’ post match interview regarding the performance of referee Jarred Gillett, despite if anything, the Australian official showing Palace far more leniency when dishing out six bookings to Luton and just one to the Eagles.

He continued: “Roy Hodgson's concise, dignified and measured contribution in his post-match interview leaves him as the doyen among managers. He was cutting and biting towards the officials without breaking any of the rules. It's time this man was knighted for the contribution he has made to the game.”

Scanning an eye through the team, Thomas Kaminski was once more overlooked, despite making some magnificent stops, for Manchester City's Ederson, who appeared to earn his spot for nothing actually to do with his gloves, but a pass out from the back to team-mate Bernardo Silva in the first half.

While considering Crook's bias for choosing defenders who have scored, there was surely a chance that Teden Mengi would find himself in the back three selected, after a magnificent showing at the back. He was even on target too, netting a first even senior goal from Alfie Doughty’s corner, while making 10 clearances and three tackles, which surely would be enough?

No, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Nathan Ake were either side of Newcastle skipper Jamaal Lascelles, who yes, did find the net with a powerful header in the 4-1 win over Chelsea, but then managed one interception and one clearance such was the ease at which the Blues were swept aside.

Still, it was good enough for Crooks.