Crystal Palace 2 Cardiff City 0: Tony Pulis praises strike duo of Cameron Jerome and Marouane Chamakh after crucial victory

Crystal Palace boss Tony Pulis was full of praise for his goalscoring duo of Marouane Chamakh and Cameron Jerome after they fired the Eagles to their second Barclays Premier League win in the space of a week at the expense of Cardiff.

Jerome, on a season-long loan from Stoke, opened the scoring with a sixth-minute header with Chamakh sealing the victory in the second half with a well-taken finish.

The win means only an inferior goal difference is keeping Palace in the relegation zone and Pulis was left delighted with the impact his forward players had on the game.

"Those two have been brilliant," the former Stoke boss said.

"They have given everyone in the team a lead in respect how they worked. Chamakh was wonderful, his link-up play was very good, and Cameron is a threat. If he does what he is good at he is a threat to anybody.

"Chamakh has real quality - Arsenal never buy a player unless they're quality. Wenger knows people with quality and he has got it, it is just about getting it out of him.

"He has looked really up for it. He recognises he is an important member of this group and hopefully he keeps playing the way he is."

Palace have now taken 10 points from their last five league games but Pulis, who took charge of the club a little over two weeks ago, knows a string of results has been crucial to stay in touch ahead of a difficult festive period.

"They are important games," he added.

"It is going to be a massive task for us - it's always difficult for promoted teams to stay in it. We needed the points this week as we have some tough away games coming up."

Jerome, whose effort was his first Premier League goal since February, is pleased with the understanding he is starting to form with Morocco international Chamakh.

"We have struck up a good little partnership," he said.

"We both work well together and are hardworking players. Chamakh deserved his goal today. He worked hard off the front and is important to the team and shows his attitude is great."

The defeat means Malky Mackay's Bluebirds have just one win in their last nine league outings but the Cardiff boss is not yet worried about the threat of relegation.

"It is about keeping picking up points," he said.

"We know that is not easy to do in the PL but we had a good result against Man United, it is 1-0 against Arsenal with four minutes to go and we got a good point at Stoke.

"As far as I'm concerned it is about performances and picking up points as we go.

"We have to be more clinical in front of goal. We have got to be in every game and more competitive in every game.

"I don't cast an eye over my shoulder. If I was cast adrift at the bottom of the league I could understand that but we are not."

The visitors had started brightly at Selhurst Park and Fraizer Campbell was guilty of missing a great opportunity to open the scoring with a second-minute header.

Mackay was left bemoaning that miss and the fact Jerome scored with his own header moments later.

He said: "We certainly weren't at it the way we have been but even then it is about taking chances and we had a great chance in the first five minutes and we should have scored.

"That would have changed the game, goals change games. They went up the other end and scored their chance. Then we head the ball straight down to Chamakh 18 yards out and he strikes at goal. We have got to be better at our end and certainly we have got to defend our box better than that.

"They are all disappointed and if we get chances we have got to take them. Overall we want to be better than we were today but we have got three chances inside their six-yard box away from home and we should score."

PA