Crystal Palace struck twice in the space of four second-half minutes to beat Leicester City 2-0 at Selhurst Park this afternoon.

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Nigel Pearson's side started as the better side though, and Leicester's strike duo of Leonardo Ulloa and Jamie Vardy linked up well in the 12th minute, but after Vardy collected a knock-down from his teammate, he saw his goalbound shot well saved by Julian Speroni.

David Nugent then found himself in front of goal unchallenged, but blazed his 20-yard shot over the bar.

After a shaky opening, the home side grew into the game and Palace's first meaningful shot of the first half came from captain Mile Jedinak in the 20th minute, but Kasper Schmeichel held on to the Australian's stinging strike.

Palace then peppered the Leicester goal with a series of shots. First, Damien Delaney saw his header cleared off the line by Esteban Cambiasso before Jason Puncheon was denied by Schmeichel. Then, Fraizer Campbell nodded over the bar as the visitors breathed a sigh of relief.

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Palace were certainly in the ascendancy and Yannick Bolasie teased Ritchie De Laet throughout the opening period and flashed a 36th-minute cross across the face of goal, but there was no-one there to meet it.

Immediately after the break, a superb piece of defending from Joel Ward deflected Nugent's strike behind and the block proved a springboard for Palace's opener a minute later.

Scott Dann - whose mistake allowed Nugent in on goal a few moments earlier - nodded a corner towards goal, where Campbell was on hand to flick the ball home.

The supporters barely had time to settle back into their seats when they were on their feet again celebrating Jedinak's goal, which came from another set piece.

The second goal knocked the stuffing out of the visitors and Marouane Chamakh almost put the game beyond any doubt with his first touch after appearing as a substitute, but the Moroccan forward put a header inches over the bar.

Ulloa couldn't repeat last week's heroics and his 86th-minute shot was well blocked by Delaney as Leicester returned home without a point.