Crystal Palace captain Joel Ward hailed the performance of new signing Jefferson Lerma.

The central midfielder was key for the London side as they took on Sheffield United in the Premier League.

Palace beat the Blades 1-0 away from home, but controlled the game from start to finish.

“It was a solid performance from Jefferson," Ward said to reporters.

“He broke up the play, won his battles, and then his quality on the ball shone through as well. That was a key thing for us."

“It makes life a little bit easier when, as a team, we're set, we're structured and we've got a good foundation to build from", Ward continued.

“On another day it could have been four or five, but it was a great start to what is an important season for us."