Jason Puncheon says it is important Crystal Palace build some momentum to take into their FA Cup semi-final after finally winning in the Premier League.
Palace moved closer to safety by beating Norwich 1-0 on Saturday to end a desperate run of 14 matches and 112 days without a victory.
The result means Alan Pardew’s side have arrested their worrying decline and are now 10 points clear of the bottom three.
Palace will reach the 40-point mark with a win against Everton on Wednesday and Puncheon has called on them to make sure of survival ahead of their Wembley meeting with Watford a week on Sunday.
“We are not safe yet,” said the midfielder, who scored the winner against Norwich to give Palace three crucial points in a crunch game at the bottom. “We have got three matches coming up before that semi-final and we need to win some games on the way to get some momentum. You need that momentum.
“It was a very important goal for the club and a very important goal for me as well. I still believe in this team.”
Palace play Everton at home before travelling to Arsenal on Sunday. The Eagles then face Manchester United at Old Trafford next Wednesday before playing Watford.
Pardew has agreed a new contract that will be signed when Palace have secured their Premier League status, and it may not be long before he is putting pen to paper.
The 54-year-old manager said: “I am honest enough to say that Saturday was one of my edgiest days as a manager. I do not usually get edgy. I am very confident of the process we put in place and that our tactical plan will win. But I was nervous.
“This is a massive result. Maybe it will settle us down and allow us to play a bit more football. We have struggled to deal with this pressure that this division puts on you at times. This win was everything for us.”
