Crystal Palace boss demands points return as Premier League as safety gap to bottom three shrinks

The South Londoners have only picked up five Premier League victories this season but have drawn 10 times, with their inability to turn dominant displays into wins highlighted throughout the campaign.

The Eagles are 13th in the Premier League table but are only eight points off 17th-placed Norwich City, who they drew 1-1 with at Carrow Road on Wednesday evening.

When asked how mindful he was of the gap to the bottom three, Vieira said: “It is something that we were aware of because of the competitiveness of the Premier League.

“Teams [at the bottom] brought in a couple of players in the winter, so we knew that it would be challenging – that’s where we are.

“It’s important for us to keep playing as well as we have, but try and turn those good performances into wins.

“We need to focus on how we want to play the game. Those are our main challenges.”

The Eagles take on London rivals Brentford, who are one place below them in the table, tomorrow.

The two sides played out a 0-0 draw at Selhurst Park in August, with Brentford boss Thomas Frank admitting after the game that he had to change his side at half time to combat Conor Gallagher’s influence.

“His strengths are running in behind and stretching the opposition,” said Vieira of the England international Chelsea loanee.

“He’s always finding the energy to get in the really dangerous areas, which allows us to have more bodies and take our chances.

“He’s an important player. He’s been doing really well, and he is improving as a player.”