Report & Highlights: Palace thump Birmingham to top PL Cup Group

Summary

• Five changes to the side which faced Crawley

• Wells-Morrison puts Palace ahead from the spot in the fifth minute

• Whitworth pulls off a strong stop to keep Palace ahead

• Ola-Adebomi doubles the lead just after the half-hour mark

• Patterson hits the bar for Birmingham moments later

• He secures a brace a four minutes later with a well-taken effort

• Ola-Adebomi almost gets a hat-trick late on in the first-half

• HT: Birmingham 0-3 Palace

• Palace hit the woodwork near the hour-mark through Ola-Adebomi

• Williams pulls one back for Birmingham in the 67th minute

• Ozoh wraps up the points for Palace late on

• FT: Birmingham 1-4 Palace

A week and a half on from the defeat to the first-team of Stevenage in the EFL Trophy, Crystal Palace Under-21s returned to action in the Premier League Cup.

There were five changes to the side which faced Stevenage, with Joe Whitworth, Seán Grehan, Tayo Adaramola, Roshaun Mathurin and Franco Umeh all returning to the starting XI.

Palace got off to the best possible start, taking the lead five minutes in. Adaramola was brought down inside the box and Jack Wells-Morrison made no mistake from 12-yards for his fourth goal of the campaign.

The hosts almost got themselves back into the game at the first time of asking, however Whitworth pulled off a fine stop to deny Brandon Khela’s strong effort from inside the box.

Umeh, fresh from a strong showing during the international break, was causing havoc down the right hand side for Palace and almost set up a second - though neither Mathurin or Ademola Ola-Adebomi could get on the end of his ball across the face of goal.

With just over half an hour gone, Palace managed to double their lead. Brad Mayo in the Birmingham goal parried out a volley from Umeh and Ola-Adebomi was quickest to react inside the box.

Just four minutes after doubling the lead for Palace Ola-Adebomi secured a brace. A perfectly weighted ball from Danny Imray played Umeh in behind, and his effort was once again parried out by Mayo.

Ola-Adebomi came rushing in, fighting to get on the end of the loose ball between two Birmingham defenders and then managing to find a perfect finish into the side netting.

Late on in the first-half, Ola-Adebomi nearly notched a hat-trick. He rose highest to get a flick on at the near post, though he couldn’t quite direct the ball goalwards.

The Blues looked to get a foothold in the game after the interval, however Palace were still in relative control after their dominant display in the first-half.

As the game approached the hour-mark, Ola-Adebomi was again close to registering a hat-trick. Ozoh and Adaramola did well to win the ball back in the Birmingham final third, with the latter squaring it across to Ola-Adebomi.

The Palace No. 9 got the faintest of touches to guide it past Mayo, but it bounced back out off the bottom of the post and into the arms of the ‘keeper.

Birmingham saw more of the ball as the second-half went on and managed to pull a goal back. Femi Olofinjana looked as though he had come too far with the ball inside the box, as it was scrambled away, but second-half substitute Pharrell Williams got lucky to strike home unchallenged inside the box.

The hosts could’ve been up all night in search of more, but the Eagles put the game to bed as David Ozoh rifled in a fourth late on. After carrying the ball forward, the midfielder was slipped in by Umeh and held off a challenge to power home his second goal in three games.

Victory for Palace means that they move to the top of Group H at the halfway point in the group stage. Powell’s side currently have six points to their name, two clear of the Blues and Ipswich Town.

Birmingham: Mayo (GK), Olofinjana, Fogarty (Browne, 71), Fairnie, Home, Khela (Pendleton, 78), Dixon, Patterson, Kamara, Oakley, Ellis (Williams, 61).

Sub not used: Basey (GK).

Palace: Whitworth (GK), Imray, Grehan, Sheridan, Adaramola, Rodney, Ozoh (Reid, 90+3), Wells-Morrison, Mathurin (Raymond, 80), Ola-Adebomi, Umeh (Akinwale, 86).

Subs not used: Izquierdo (GK), Watson.