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Bournemouth fightback adds to Palace misery

London - Bournemouth heaped more misery on a slumping Crystal Palace side after coming from a goal down to claim a 2-1 victory at Selhurst Park on Tuesday.

Scott Dann volleyed in a 27th-minute opener for Palace, who had lost four straight matches, but Marc Pugh steered in an equaliser for Bournemouth just seven minutes later.

Bournemouth's record signing Benik Afobe then headed the Cherries in front on 57 minutes as Eddie Howe's side recorded just a second win in seven to climb seven points clear of the relegation zone.

Palace were as high as fifth in December but their dramatic loss of form has seen the Eagles slide to 11th, with both Everton and Chelsea capable of going above them on Wednesday.

Former Arsenal and Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor was named among the Palace substitutes after the joining the south London club on a free transfer last week.

Wilfried Zaha scored the winner for Palace in a 1-0 win over Stoke City in Saturday's FA Cup fourth round, and the former Manchester United winger went close to giving the home side an early lead as he fizzed a shot just over.

But the hosts were fortunate when Afobe miscued a volley midway through the first half having been left unmarked inside the Palace penalty area.

Palace though grabbed the lead as Lee Chung-Yong kept the ball in play following a corner with a clever backheel to Zaha whose driven cross was turned in from close range by centre-back Dann for his fourth goal of the season.

However, Bournemouth replied before half-time as Pugh, who was also on target in Saturday's 2-1 FA Cup victory at fourth-tier Portsmouth, cut into the box and planted a low shot inside Wayne Hennessey's left-hand post.

And the visitors took the lead just before the hour when Afobe followed up after Matt Ritchie's shot was parried by Hennessey, the former Arsenal youngster sending a looping header beyond the Wales goalkeeper to net for the third straight game following his reported 10 million ($14.5 million, 13.3 million euros) move from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Palace introduced Adebayor in response to falling behind, with fellow ex-Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh also thrown on, but neither could help the Eagles from crashing to a fifth successive defeat as Adebayor fired a late chance into the side netting.

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