Report & Highlights: Late Palace comeback seals fifth straight win

Summary

• Darren Powell named the exact same side for the third game running

• Blackburn Rovers took the lead a quarter of an hour in through Harley O’Grady

• Victor Akinwale nearly equalised just five minutes later, but he headed just over

• Tayo Adaramola saw an effort from a narrow angle parried behind

• Half-time: Blackburn Rovers 1-0 Crystal Palace

• Blackburn goalkeeper Jordan Eastham was shown a straight red on the hour-mark

• David Ozoh fired narrowly over the bar with 15 minutes remaining

• Franco Umeh levelled for Palace from close-range in the 82nd minute

• Captain Jack Wells-Morrison put the Eagles ahead two minutes from time

• Fionn Mooney completed the scoring and sealed the points in the third minute of time added on

• Full-time: Blackburn Rovers 1-3 Crystal Palace

Four days on from their remarkable comeback victory at Chelsea, Crystal Palace Under-21s travelled to face Blackburn Rovers for a third successive away game.

Manager Darren Powell named the exact same side that won at Kingsmeadow, with Under-18s prospects Jake Grante and Franco Umeh making the bench for the first time at U21 level.

As was the case on Monday night, the hosts took the lead early on. Harley O’Grady worked his way into the box before striking a fierce effort low and hard into the back of the Palace net.

The goal came after what was a relatively sustained period of dominance early on for The Riversiders. The Eagles best chance of the half came just five minutes later as they raced down the other end. Danny Imray put a dangerous ball across the box which Victor Akinwale got on the end of, though he headed just over the bar from inside the six-yard box.

Palace’s only other chance of note in the first-half came through recent Premier League 2 Player of the Month nominee Tayo Adaramola, the left wing-back raced towards the byline and saw his cross-cum-shot parried away by Jordan Eastham.

Blackburn nearly managed to double their lead after the restart, however Owen Goodman was equal to an effort from about 20-yards out from Zak Gilsenan - managing to turn the striker’s effort behind with an acrobatic save.

Imray threatened for Palace one more, this time cutting in from the right-hand side and firing an effort on goal with his weaker left-foot, however Eastham was equal to it.

On the hour-mark, the game was turned on its head as Eastham was shown a straight red card. The Blackburn ‘keeper rushed out of his box and clattered into Jadan Raymond who knocked the ball past him, clearly denying a goalscoring opportunity.

With the man-advantage in the remaining half an hour was all Palace. An acrobatic effort from Adaramola and an Ozoh effort from the edge of the box did not test substitute goalkeeper Aidan Dowling.

It looked as though the Eagles were going to leave Lancashire empty handed, but second-half substitute Umeh had other ideas. After coming off the bench with 15 minutes to go to make his debut at U21s level, he made a near-instant impact, scoring seven minutes later.

A corner from Jack Wells-Morrison was met by Akinwale at the far post, the forward hit it right across the face of goal and it ricocheted in off of Umeh inside the six-yard box - giving Palace the equaliser and setting up a grandstand finish with just under 10 minutes of normal time left to play.

The south Londoners, with the wind in their sails, pushed for a winner and were handed a golden opportunity after Adaramola was brought down inside the box. Wells-Morrison stepped up from the spot once more and sent Dowling the wrong way, claiming the lead with two minutes of normal time remaining.

In the third of seven minutes of time added on, substitute Fionn Mooney added the icing on the cake for the Eagles. Adaramola, again at the heart of the attack, raced down the left-flank after winning the ball back inside the Palace half and skipped past two challenges.

He cut it back across the box and found Mooney unmarked to fire home, sealing the points for Powell’s side. The result means that they have now closed the gap on second place Chelsea to two points, with a game in hand over them and extended their advantage over Liverpool in fourth to five points.

Blackburn Rovers: Eastham (GK), Mola, Saadi (Dowling, 62), Gamble, Gent (Pratt, 83), O’Grady, Weston (Edmonson, 83), Gilsenan (Burns, 72), Harlock, Montgomery, Walker (Wood, 62).

Crystal Palace: Goodman (GK), Imray (Umeh, 74), Balmer, Rodney, Watson, Adaramola, Ozoh, Raymond (Mooney, 83), Wells-Morrison, Akinwale, Ola-Adebomi (Vigor, 90).

Subs not used: Izquierdo (GK), Grante.