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Tackle from Liverpool's Marko Grujic was 'disgusting' - James Tomkins

Crystal Palace defender James Tomkins believes the "disgusting" tackle from Liverpool's Marko Grujic, which left him sidelined for three weeks, has been "brushed under the carpet."

It was feared Tomkins' season was over when he was on the receiving end of a late challenge from Grujic, who received a yellow card, in the final stages of Palace's 2-1 win at Anfield last month.

Having missed three matches in total -- defeats to Tottenham Hotspur, Burnley and Manchester City -- Tomkins returned to play 86 minutes of Palace's 4-0 rout over Hull City on Sunday despite still feeling pain from Grujic's tackle.

"The challenge was brushed under the carpet a bit," he said. "I'm not one to complain about the physical aspects of the game and I accept opposing players are going to be competitive but I thought the tackle was disgusting really.

"I managed to get away with it because it could have been a lot worse. I worked very hard to get myself back to fitness and just wasn't quite ready for City last week but I was very happy to come in against Hull even though there's still a bit of pain.

"We've had a lot of injuries, obviously Mama [Sakho] has been great for us and Scott [Dann] has been recovering from a long-term injury.

"We've had Martin Kelly playing centre-back even though he's normally a right full-back so he deserves a lot of credit for stepping in and playing so well.

"Last week against City was a difficult game for the entire team but we all deserve a lot of credit for the performance we put in against Hull."

Palace's win over Hull on the weekend ensured their top-flight status for next season, while confirming the Tigers' relegation to the Championship.