The standard of refereeing has justifiably come under intense scrutiny this term and on Saturday it was Stoke who became the latest victims as they ended up on the wrong end of two desperately poor decisions.
Andre Marriner decided the contest with a performance that can be added to many others the Potters have suffered in recent times with Palace taking full advantage to win 2-1.
His first decision centred around a coming together between Asmir Begovic and Yannick Bolasie; the latter had his foot at the height of the goalkeeper's shoulders which when you factor in the fact he is 6ft 7in, makes it all the more astonishing that the decision went in the attacker's favour.
His second was another decision in the penalty area where Joel Ward threw himself to the ground to block a shot, blocking it with both of his hands -- but no penalty was awarded. It's that level of puddled logic and inconsistency that has led to a number of prominent figures in the game to call for technology to aid a profession who seem to be struggling to keep up with the pace and gamesmanship of the Premier League.
Stoke boss Mark Hughes did his best to illicit a response from his side after the shambles at West Brom by making a number of changes designed to inject a bit of pace into a front line entirely bereft of it in that game.
The shape of the side was changed into more of a 4-3-3 formation, taking the onus off Charlie Adam to put in a defensive shift so he could concentrate on creating for his teammates. It was a move that wasn't particularly effective, in the first half at least, as Stephen Ireland found himself covering both his and Adam's positions while the Scot failed to connect with many of his attempted passes.
As has often been posed though, going behind and chasing the game against a deeper side in the second half worked in Adam's favour. With a bit more time on his side to pick a pass as well as spending the first half finding his range, the passes and raking drives started to find their men -- or at least the right areas -- and as his influence grew, Palace boss Alan Pardew had his goalkeeper, in addition to the referee, to thank for keeping his side in the lead.
The manager can take a certain amount of heart from the way the front line linked up with Marko Arnautovic and Ireland in particular moving the ball with incision and purpose. The story isn't the same at the back, though, with the defence struggling again as a unit with yet another change to personnel with the introduction of Geoff Cameron at right back.
Throw in another Marc Wilson error that lead to Palace's second and the deficits to overcome and get back into games is often insurmountable, especially when the referee is making such questionable calls. Captain Ryan Shawcross was far from his excellent self and the balance in the middle is struggling with the continued absence of Marc Muniesa, who was starting to show he was an excellent foil for him.
The latest international break gives both a chance to work on their fitness and the manager an opportunity to decide on his best side having been unable to name an unchanged one for much of the campaign.
The news that Peter Odemwingie is close to a return is a significant boost. His introduction in the second half of last season was a real turning point and while that impact is unlikely to be repeated, fans will be hoping he can come in and lift a side trying to move past that 50 point mark to surpass last season's efforts.