Sage on learning lessons after Palace narrowly edged out in Lyon
Pierre Sage wants to "turn the page quickly" after his side suffered a Europa League defeat in Lyon.
The Eagles lost out in a five-goal thriller in our first ever Europa League away tie.
Lyon struck twice before the break and although Yéremy Pino and, in the dying minutes, Daichi Kamada scored in a second-half comeback, Pavel Sulc's clever backheel flick would prove decisive.
It ends Palace's unbeaten streak at three games, with a trip to Beşiktaş our next fixture in this competition next Thursday.
Sage believed his side were left with too much to do, after a slack first-half which left them trailing by two goals.
"It was a game of two different halves," Sage reflected in his post-match press conference. “We were absent in the first-half. The second-half is more like what we’re used to seeing.
"We can be frustrated with the result, but we can be frustrated with the first-half. Going two goals down meant this was too difficult to turn around."
“We play the game to win," he continued. "But when you miss the first-half performance, I have to be frustrated with that.
“We cannot accept this. We have to take the lesson from here today.
"We didn't fight enough, we didn't manage some of the tactical problems and we were not proactive with the ball.
“If we want to be competitive, we need to be better in these areas"
We have to take the lesson
—Pierre Sage
Despite the disappointment of a defeat on his return to Lyon, Sage is already looking forward and will be looking to bounce back with a win against Brighton on Sunday.
"We have to turn the page quickly and take the lesson," he added. "Now the most important game is the game in Brighton.
"This evening we cannot change what happened on the pitch. We want to improve on Sunday.
"We will rest and make sure we prepare the right way. This is really important.
“Because I know the rivalry between the two clubs and we have to show the same face we showed in the second-half tonight, not what we showed in the first-half.
Sage also offered a brief update on the fitness of Jean-Philippe Mateta after the game, who missed the trip to Lyon.
"There might be some chance of seeing him this weekend – he’s on track with his rehabilitation."