Having six points key ahead of tough run, says Palace's Dann

(Reuters) - Crystal Palace defender Scott Dann has stressed the importance of having points on the board ahead of a daunting run of Premier League fixtures, with Alan Pardew's side set to face Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur in the coming weeks. Palace beat Aston Villa 2-1 on Saturday, with Dann getting the opening goal before setting up midfielder Bakary Sako's late winner to seal the three points after Villa drew level through Pape Souare's own goal in the 77th minute. The Eagles currently sit third in the table, with six points from three games, with their only loss of the season coming in their 2-1 home defeat by Arsenal on Aug. 16. Dann expressed his delight at scoring and said the "massive win" against Villa would help his team negotiate a tricky run of fixtures that begin with a visit to defending champions Chelsea on Saturday. "We are having a tough start to the season in respect of fixtures but we have points on the board," Dann was quoted as saying by the club's website. "We now have six points from three games and that is including having played Arsenal at home but we will take this performance into the Chelsea game and hopefully get a good result in our match next week," the 28-year-old added. The defender also hailed the impact of the 27-year-old Sako, who came into the side as a replacement for fellow winger Yannick Bolasie, who flew home to the Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday after receiving news of his father's death. "It was a great goal by Bakary Sako to get us all the points," Dann said. Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew also praised the performance of new signing Sako, who joined from Wolverhampton Wanderers. "He will be a real asset for us, he's announced himself today in no uncertain manner," Pardew said. "Once he got it on to his left foot I was actually quite confident that he would find the corner because in training he's been hitting that with real venom." Pardew also said he wanted Bolasie to spend as much time as he needed with his family after his father's death. "I'm not putting him under any pressure to come back, that's just about him and his family and when he feels comfortable. I couldn't care less if he takes three weeks. It's not easy losing your father," the 54-year-old added. (Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru. Editing by Patrick Johnston)