Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson was delighted for Christian Benteke after their 3-2 win at Arsenal.

Hodgson was asked if Benteke's opening goal - a strong finish with his head from close range - will have lifted a weight from his shoulders and the manager conceded that, yes, it would, but that the Belgian can be prouder with far more than just netting.

He said: "I think he's more than just a goalscorer, his all-round performance today was fantastic. If he had played that way and someone else had scored the goal I wouldn't be saying we should berate him in any way for not scoring.

"It is good I agree, front players need goals and of course I'm sure it is a weight off his mind but the biggest weight off his mind must be that in tandem with Wilf today he gave such a good performance. Not only going forward, he did a good job defensively - both did - and our compact, narrow shape was also largely or certainly in part due to the fact that they dropped in so well and made it difficult for the Arsenal midfield players to get on the ball."