Sam Allardyce has expressed his relief at Crystal Palace securing Premier League safety for next season, after inflicting a 4-0 hammering on Hull City on Sunday afternoon.
The home side edged into an early lead through Wilfried Zaha, and further goals from Christian Benteke, Luka Milivojevic and Patrick van Aanholt settled the tie, and sent Hull into relegation.
A win for Hull would have brought them to within a point of Palace with one game remaining, which made the victory for Palace all the more crucial.
Speaking after the comprehensive win, Palace boss Allardyce told Sky Sports that he was relieved to get the result: "It's a massive relief. We all know the implications of relegation and the devastation it causes to a football club. This club has been in the Premier League for a few years and wants to grow in it.
"It was a brilliant effort from the players today. Tactically, we set out to nullify Hull City and really just expose them where we thought they were weak.
Sam Allardyce gives a speech to the Crystal Palace fans after avoiding relegation at Selhurst Park.
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"It's a perfect performance from the players today - 4-0, clean sheet and terrific for everybody that's taken part since I've been here, not just the squad but everyone behind the scenes. And the fans particularly in the end, right behind us and have been ever since we've been here."
When asked about his impressive record of preserving Premier League status for previous clubs, Allardyce said:
"Because of the run-in and the size of the teams we had to play, this (Crystal Palace) was the hardest. We've not wasted the magnificent results we achieved, particularly in that short spell against Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal.
"We've had a little slip up and that came through quite a lot of injuries really. Now, we've come back in the last home game - what a way to finish in front of your own fans. It's a great feeling."
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