Saturday 19 March 2016 19:12, UK
Alan Pardew admitted Crystal Palace need some "breathing space" as their winless run continued with a 1-0 defeat to Leicester on Saturday.
Riyad Mahrez's 34th-minute goal condemned Palace to their sixth success home Premier League loss.
Although they are still eight points above the relegation zone, they have not won in the league since December 19 and face three of the top six in their next four matches, before their FA Cup semi-final with Watford.
"We need to get a couple of wins and get them before the semi-final to give ourselves some breathing space," Pardew told Sky Sports. "We have some difficult games but this is a team that can win at any time, we have proved that in the first half of the season and in the cup.
"But in the second half of the season we haven't had that win that would have taken some pressure off. We handled it well today but it just wouldn't come for us."
The closest Palace came to equalising was in second-half injury-time when Damien Delaney volleyed against the bar.
"We are on a tricky run and things are not falling for us," said Pardew. "We tried to force it today and make sure our performance was at a level where we could overcome the fortune of the game. We almost achieved that, but not quite.
"Leicester definitely shaded the first half and looked the team that would go on to win, but we played very well in the second half and caused them some problems, which is difficult to do as they are a very organised team."
While it was another disappointing result for Palace, Leicester are now eight points clear at the top of the table with seven games left to play.
"They would be worthy champions in terms of their performance today," said Pardew. "It was a difficult game for us and I thought we played reasonably well, particularly in the second half, but they came away with the win, and that's the sign of a good team.
"They have such speed and they are effortless going forward at times. They found a way, what won them the game was their defensive discipline. The midfield two did not give us any stake or anything to cling to so we could break. It had to be outstanding play from us to create a chance. "
