Crystal Palace 2-1 Cardiff

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Wayne Routledge celebrates his goal

Cardiff City self-destructed in spectacular style at Selhurst Park to take some pressure off under-fire Crystal Palace manager Steve Kember.

The Eagles were already leading 2-0 after goals by Wayne Routledge and Neil Shipperley when Cardiff's Willie Boland was sent off for a wild kick, forcing the Bluebirds to play out most of the second half with 10 men.

Cardiff pulled one back through inspirational captain Graham Kavanagh, but it got worse for them when substitute Andy Campbell was also dismissed for shoving Shaun Derry in the final minute of an ill-tempered game.

Eagles boss Kember was under pressure after taking just two points from a possible 21 prior to this fixture and he held a clear-the-air meeting with his players this week.

But his position now looks a lot healthier after a first win in eight attempts.

The home side began tidily enough without really testing City goalkeeper Neil Alexander.

They allowed dangerman Robert Earnshaw a clear sight of goal when Peter Thorne's 16th-minute chip caught them off-guard, but the Wales international's touch let him down.

Palace were finding their feet and Darren Powell put a close-range effort under pressure over the crossbar from Derry's knock-down, but the game desperately needed a spark to bring it to life.

It was Routledge who provided it, reacting first to a drilled low cross from Danny Butterfield with a sharp first-time strike into the bottom corner from 12 yards out in the last minute of the first half.

Cardiff were almost level in stoppage-time when Kavanagh struck a free-kick marginally wide from the edge of the penalty area.

But Shipperley doubled Palace's lead soon after the restart from a Routledge cross with an outstretched boot.

Alexander was then at full-stretch to tip over Freedman's header from a Butterfield free-kick as the Eagles piled on the pressure and it told on 53 minutes when the game exploded into life.

Boland was the guilty party, receiving a red card from referee Clive Penton for a rash hack at Routledge right in front of the 1,992 travelling Cardiff fans.

It looked bleak for the Bluebirds, but they were suddenly back in the game courtesy of Kavanagh.

He exchanged quick-fire passes with Earnshaw before unleashing a real scorcher from 25 yards straight into the top corner.

Routledge could have had another with a shot from the edge of the box which curled just wide of the far post and Shipperley hit the crossbar with five minutes to play.

And there was just time for another show of impetuousness from Campbell to ruin his manager's day on his return to his south London roots.

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Crystal Palace: Berthelin, Fleming, Powell, Butterfield, Routledge, Hughes, Mullins, Derry, Black, Shipperley, Freedman. Subs: Symons, Watson, Riihilahti, Borrowdale, Cronin.

Cardiff: Alexander, Weston, Gabbidon, Vidmar, Barker, Langley, Kavanagh, Boland, Bonner, Earnshaw, Thorne. Subs: Prior, Campbell, Margetson, Croft, Collins.

Referee: C Penton (Sussex).