Shefki Kuqi continued his renaissance with another goal as Crystal Palace climbed to fifth in the Championship with a 3-0 win over Southampton. The former Blackburn striker, who manager Neil Warnock maintains will be sold in January as the club cannot afford his wages, hit a superb volley to put Palace ahead before Craig Beattie and Paul Ifill secured the points.
Kuqi's stock had fallen so low he was reduced to training with the youth team, but an injury crisis prompted his recall in September and he now has five goals to his name.
Beattie, the man Warnock will attempt to buy permanently from West Brom with the money he saves from offloading Kuqi, thumped the second with struggling Southampton in disarray in the first quarter of an hour.
The visitors got back into the game but rarely threatened and were killed off when Ifill broke away to score the third.
Saints, who are just four points above the drop zone, survived a scare in the first minute when Nick Carle burst into the area but left-back Rudi Skacel came across to make a vital challenge.
Referee Darren Deadman waved away Palace's appeals for a penalty, and did the same at the other end when Saints striker David McGoldrick took a theatrical tumble in the area.
But Kuqi broke the deadlock in fine style in the ninth minute when teenage Palace defender Nathaniel Clyne floated the ball into the penalty area.
Saints centre-half Alex Pearce misjudged the flight, allowing Kuqi to control the ball on his chest and volley over Kelvin Davis and into the net.
Six minutes later Beattie doubled Palace's lead with a powerful angled drive after Jose Fonte had helped John Oster's corner into his path.
Saints did manage to stem the flow, though, and eventually began to dominate possession after Palace lost midfielder Ben Watson to injury.
Jan Poortvliet's young side play plenty of pretty football but a lack of end product could yet prove their downfall this season.
Bradley Wright-Phillips had a shot blocked by Fonte before Jordan Robertson forced Julian Speroni to tip his shot around the post as the interval approached.
After the break, Saints' England Under-21 midfielder Andrew Surman drove narrowly wide from 25 yards.
But wily Palace were content to let their visitors keep the ball while limiting them to long-range efforts.
Kuqi could have added a third, and another few pounds onto his transfer value, but the big Finn skied his effort high and wide.
But the third goal did arrive in the 75th minute when Lloyd James failed to control a high ball and substitute Ifill nipped in to fire past Davis.
