Report & Highlights: Five-star Palace through to FA Youth Cup fifth round

Summary

• Jemide came in for Adams-Collman in the only change to the side

• Palace dominate proceedings early on, but can't capitalise on their chances

• Mustapha puts Palace ahead in the 28th minute

• Agbinone doubles the lead for Palace three minutes later with a fine finish

• Williams makes it three goals in five minutes with well taken goal

• Palace make it four just before half-time through Marsh

• HT: Hull 0-4 Palace

• Marsh gets a brace immediately after the restart

• Palace comfortably dominate the remainder of the half

• Gibbard hits the post from 30-yards with a quarter of an hour remaining

• Marsh is in for the hat-trick late on, but is denied by the ‘keeper

• FT: Hull 0-5 Palace

Ten days on from the chaotic nine-goal thriller against West Ham United, Crystal Palace Under-18s travelled to East Yorkshire to take on Hull City in the FA Youth Cup fourth round.

There was a single change to the side, with Mofe Jemide coming in for Kai-Reece Adams-Collman. Captain Zach Marsh continued to lead the line from the front, after scoring his sixth hat-trick of the campaign against the Hammers.

Despite the near sub-zero temperatures and an unfamiliar setting of the MKM Stadium, the young Eagles got off to a strong start, pressing from the front and dominating the ball.

Hindolo Mustapha had the pick of the chances in the opening quarter of an hour. The midfielder was played in behind on the left hand side by Rio Cardines and managed to work his way to the edge of the box, though his curling shot was narrowly wide of the mark.

He then immediately won the ball back from the resulting goal kick on the edge of the box and fired a rasping drive straight at George Wilson in the Hull City goal.

George King and Jesse Derry both had chances of their own, however the latter couldn’t quite generate enough power on his header and the former saw his fierce shot inside the box charged down.

With 28 minutes on the clock, the boys from south London found a breakthrough. A misplaced pass from Hull City’s Archie Cooper fell straight to Mustapha and the midfielder made no mistake this time around, burying it in the bottom corner at the first time of asking.

Just three minutes later, Palace doubled their advantage through Asher Agbinone. Joe Gibbard won it back in midfielder and went on a surging run through the middle of the park. Evading a challenge, he managed to slip in Agbinone in space on the right hand side and the winger coolly slotted past Wilson across the face of goal.

Seb Williams then got in on the act to make it three goals in the space of five minutes. Excellent hold up play from Marsh fed it into the path of Gibbard, who in turn picked out Williams inside the box. The Palace No. 8 rounded the ‘keeper and finished from inside the six-yard box into an empty net.

The Tigers were well and truly mauled in the space of five minutes as the young Eagles made their early momentum count. Mustapha had the ball in the back of the net once more, after getting on the end of a huge clearance from goalkeeper Billy Eastwood, but it was ruled out.

Just before half-time, the misery was compounded for the hosts as Marsh got his customary goal which capped off an excellent move. A long diagonal from Jemide was plucked out of the air by Agbinone, who scooped it over the defence to find Williams.

Williams then flicked it over his marker inside the box, cushioning a header towards Marsh who rifled in a rocket of a goal with a first-time volley. His 22nd goal of the season saw Palace take a 4-0 lead into the break.

After the interval Marsh secured his brace with what proved to be the fifth and final goal for the side. Mustapha once again won it back in midfield through his pressing and sprayed it forward for Derry to run onto. The Palace No. 11 raced towards the byline and cut it back across the six-yard box for Marsh to slam home.

The young Eagles effectively saw out the remainder of the game with relative ease, being five goals to the good. Centre-back duo Jemide and Jake Grante along with full-backs Cardines and King snuffed out any threat from the hosts, keeping a clean sheet intact.

There were opportunities for a sixth, first via Gibbard who struck the base of the post from 30-yards out and secondly late on in stoppage time as Marsh was played in behind by second-half substitute Matteo Dashi. The in-form striker took the ball in his stride, but couldn’t quite round the ‘keeper to put the cherry on the icing of the cake.

Four minutes of stoppage time came and went and the referee brought an end to proceedings. Victory at in east Yorkshire means that Rob Quinn’s side will now face either Everton or Chelsea in the fifth round proper.

Hull: Wilson (GK), Jackson, Devine, Coyle, Iggulden, Cooper, Chibanga, Gray, Kelly, Dawson, Spence.

Subs not used: Howard (GK), Batty, Perry, Johnson, Nkomba, Hewitt, Revill.

Palace: Eastwood (GK), King, Jemide, Grante, Cardines, S. Williams, Gibbard, Mustapha (Dashi, 55), Agbinone (Cowin, 83), Marsh, Derry (Lusale, 83).

Subs not used: Hill (GK), Elliott, Redhead, Adams-Collman.