Report & Highlights: Eddie & Ebs power Eagles past QPR

Summary:

• Three changes for Palace with Richards, Lerma and Kamada all starting.
• 10: Eze side-foots over from the edge of the box.
• 16 – GOAL: Eze’s quick free-kick tees Nketiah up for powerful low finish.
• 17: Muñoz slices wide from Eze’s clipped cross to the far post.
• 30: Celar header deflects wide under pressure from Guéhi.
• 45: Nketiah’s low effort doesn’t quite sneak over the line.
• HT: QPR 0-1 Palace
• 52: Henderson produces stunning save to deny Smyth from close range.
• 53 – GOAL: Field thunders home half-volley after Palace fail to clear the corner.
• 56: Lacroix’s flicked header sails wide of the far post.
• 64 – GOAL: Eze restores Palace’s lead following a fortuitous deflection.
• 82: Sarr’s bending effort forces Walsh into two-handed save.
• 90: Lloyd’s volley dips narrowly wide of the bottom corner as QPR go long late on.
• FT: QPR 1-2 Palace

After comfortably overcoming Championship opposition in the form of Norwich City in the second round, Palace were looking to repeat the trick in the third – this time away from home – against Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road.

Manager Oliver Glasner once again opted to make just a handful of changes, with Chris Richards returning to the starting XI at centre-back and Jefferson Lerma and Daichi Kamada both coming into the team in central midfield.

As they did against Norwich, Palace enjoyed a great deal of control in the early stages – both in possession and territorially.

Indeed, it was from their high press that Palace’s first chance arrived after 10 minutes – and it was one which Ebere Eze, on his return to Loftus Road after four years as a player there, perhaps ought to have capitalised upon, running onto a square ball from Nketiah but side-footing high over the bar after the ball bobbled in front of him.

That South London connection between Palace’s two No. 10s – childhood friends Eze and Nketiah – was a frequent feature of the first-half, and eventually led to the opening goal.

When Marc Guéhi won a free-kick 40 yards from goal, it looked for all the world like Eze would deliver it – but the playmaker had other ideas, slipping the ball into space for Nketiah to sprint into and smash a low finish across goal and into the net, his first goal in a Palace shirt.

Palace had started at a pace which QPR were struggling to live with, and carved out another shooting opportunity moments later when Eze clipped a cross towards the far post and Daniel Muñoz – sneaking in around at the back post, but unsighted as a result – side-footed wide of the goal.

Glasner’s side managed the remainder of the first-half with a degree of comfort in possession and territory – the only moment of danger being a whipped cross which Richards was alive to, deflecting Zan Celar’s header behind.

The closest we came to another goal was for Palace on the stroke of half-time: another clever pass from Eze, another smart touch from Nketiah, and another drilled finish across goal, this one somehow failing to cross the line as the ball got caught between Muñoz and a covering defender.

Such was the extent of Palace’s general dominance in possession that a QPR equaliser seemed extremely unlikely – but they found one early in the second-half at the culmination of their first real attack of the game.

Palace appeared to have gotten away with it thanks to goalkeeper Dean Henderson’s superb save from Paul Smyth’s close-range header at the far post – but seconds later, they failed to clear the subsequent corner, and the ball fell kindly for Sam Field to swivel and smash in a half-volley to get Loftus Road rocking.

It was easily the hosts’ best spell of the game and Palace were forced to momentarily dig in, although Maxence Lacroix did see his near-post header flash wide of the far post – the sheer pace on Eze’s cross marking it out as no more than a half-chance.

But ride it out Palace did – and once they began to establish themselves once more, a counter-attack led to them taking the lead once again.

It was Eze on his return to Loftus Road who made the difference, Kamada’s quick pass and a neat turn in midfield making space for a low drive from 25 yards – but the effort owed much to a significant deflection off QPR defender Steve Cook to leave ‘keeper QPR Joe Walsh flat-footed.

That allowed Palace to exert themselves on the contest once again, settling – save for a couple of nervy moments, and a handful of QPR corners – the tempo down.

Ismaïla Sarr – seeking his second goal of the competition this season, after being awarded his first by the referee post-match against Norwich – was a lively presence and forced Walsh into a flying save with a late effort from the edge of the box.

The clock was just ticking into five additional minutes when QPR’s big moment arrived – and, thankfully, left. Walsh’s long kick forwards beat the back line and substitute Alfie Lloyd took the bouncing ball in his stride, unleashing a dipping volley towards the bottom corner – just wide.

A hard-fought win, but an important one for Palace, who duly progressed into the Carabao Cup fourth round for the first time since 2018/19.

QPR: Walsh (GK), Ashby (Lloyd, 68), Cook, Field, Paal, Varane, Dixon-Bonner (Dembele, HT), Smyth (Andersen, 81), Madsen (Dunne, 81), Saito (Santos, 68), Celar

Subs: Nardi (GK), Morgan, Bennie, Frey.

Palace: Henderson (GK), Richards, Lacroix, Guéhi, Muñoz, Lerma, Kamada (Schlupp, 90+3), Mitchell, Eze, Mateta (Hughes, 74), Nketiah (Sarr, 65).

Subs: Turner (GK), Ward, Clyne, Wharton, Umeh, Agbinone.

As It Happened