Christantus Uche Fuels Comfortable Palace Win at Irish Side Shelbourne.
Despite embarking on their maiden European adventure, Oliver Glasner's side are adapting very quickly. Missing key players like forward Jean-Philippe Mateta and wing-back Daniel Muñoz, the London club left Dublin with a commanding result that all but secures them a spot in the Europa Conference League playoffs.
A further three points in their upcoming fixture against Finnish KuPS should be sufficient to seal straight passage to the last 16, especially following a previous setback against Strasbourg.
Fringe Players Seize the Moment
This match provided a chance for several Palace's lesser-used talent to impress. Christantus Uche, in only his second beginning after arriving on loan from Getafe, opened the scoring with a well-taken goal. Forward Eddie Nketiah added a another, finding the net for the second game in match.
A Shelbourne side that had concluded their league season were no match even for a mostly second-string Palace outfit. The visitors were already depleted by the news that Mateta and Muñoz are sidelined with knee injuries.
Control Established from the Start
In spite of torrential rain in Dublin, Palace rapidly took control. A flowing move in the 11th minute, sparked by Daichi Kamada's clever pass, let Nketiah to lay on Uche for a straightforward finish.
Midfielder Adam Wharton came close soon after, fizzing a long-range shot over the bar. Nketiah then appealed for a penalty after racing into the area, but the official dismissed the protests.
Ex-Arsenal man didn't need to wait long to find his goal, tapping home from close range after Uche's shot had hit the post.
Shelbourne were clinging on for dear life. Defender Kameron Ledwidge was fortunate to avoid a booking for two agricultural tackles on Yeremy Pino, before Chris Richards rattled the woodwork with a powerful header from a corner.
Yeremy Pino Wraps Up the Game
The contest was effectively over eight minutes from half-time. Yeremy Pino weaved past some weak challenges before calmly slotting a shot past goalkeeper Wessel Speel to extend the lead to 3-0.
Following the break, manager Oliver Glasner took the chance to withdraw several individuals like Kamada and Wharton. Substitute Romain Esse almost scoring with his very first touch, but saw his effort blocked.
Esse was incredibly unlucky later on, seeing one shot crash off each posts before being gathered on the line. Uche also blazed a glaring chance, showing there is still room for improvement in his game.
A solitary worry for Palace was a late injury to Justin Devenny, who limped off. This allowed 17-year-old forward Benji Casey to make his senior debut, capping an otherwise positive evening for the visiting side.