In the FA Cup encounter between Crystal Palace and Southampton, the result was slightly tilted as Southampton emerged victorious with a 2-1 scoreline. Given the number of shots and fouls delivered by both sides, it was a fiercely contested battle on the field.

Southampton’s win came despite a flurry of yellow cards, with the team earning four in the second half. The increasing aggression and intense play on Southampton's part were evident in their fouls count, which skyrocketed to a substantial 20 compared to Crystal Palace's 9. This rising count of discrepancies suggests defensive instability and a possible lack of discipline on the Southampton side. Nonetheless, they managed to turn the tide in their favour and secure victory.

Crystal Palace's performance, on the other hand, was quite contrasting. They took the lead early in the game at the 13:22 mark but couldn't hold on despite lesser disciplinary discrepancies and more corner kicks. While they only gathered a single yellow card, they failed to maximize their advantages notably with corner kicks. They had a whopping eight corner kicks compared to Southampton's single one but failed to convert these set-pieces effectively into scores.

Southampton's persistence broke Crystal Palace's lead by equalizing in the first half at the 36:53 mark, followed by a decisive second goal in the second half at 01:07:34. The home team, however, was left trailing despite only being caught offside once compared to Southampton’s three times.

Despite their aggressive play leading to an increased foul count and a rain of yellow cards, Southampton came out trumps. On the losing end, Crystal Palace will undoubtedly need to improve their utilization of set-pieces and work on maintaining their lead.

In conclusion, while Crystal Palace seemed to possess more strategic positioning, their lack of efficiency in converting opportunities lost them the game. Southampton's harsher gameplay, despite leading to disciplinary discrepancies, proved more effective, leading to their well-earned victory. The most apparent deciding factor was the team's conversion of their goal opportunities and how that compensated for their aggressive and somewhat unruly style of play.

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