Report & Highlights: Eagles cruise past Canaries into third round

Summary:

• Four changes to Palace’s starting XI for second-round cup tie.
• 2 – GOAL: Kamada rounds goalkeeper to poke Palace into an early lead.
• 7: Henderson blocks close-range from Crnac; Forsyth pokes rebound against the post.
• 10: Richards on for Riad in enforced early change for Palace.
• 18: Eze’s delicate lobbed effort is ruled out by the offside flag.
• 32: Eze blasts into the side-netting after being found by Mitchell.
• 38: Nuñez blasts over from the edge of the box for Norwich.
• 45+4: Eze sees second goal ruled out by the offside flag.
• HT: Palace 1-0 Norwich
• 46: Mateta smashes over from a tight angle.
• 54: Guéhi’s close-range header deflects behind off a Norwich shirt.
• 57 – GOAL: Mateta’s overhead kick doubles Palace’s lead.
• 61: Henderson produces excellent double save to deny visitors.
• 68 – GOAL: Mateta finds spaces to blast in his second.
• 71: Sarr comes on and immediately almost finds a third.
• 84 – GOAL: Eze dances past five defenders and strikes low; shot deflects off Sarr into bottom corner.
• FT: Palace 4-0 Norwich
• Note: Palace's fourth goal was initially credited to Ebere Eze. Following the referee’s report and a review of match footage, the EFL subsequently awarded it to Ismaila Sarr after it took a minor deflection.

Little over 72 hours after suffering defeat to West Ham United on the same ground, Oliver Glasner made four changes to his starting XI to face the Canaries, with Cheick Doucouré handed his first start in over 10 months after recovering from long-term injury.

Also coming back into the team were Nathaniel Clyne, Will Hughes and Daichi Kamada, with Chris Richards, Jefferson Lerma, Adam Wharton and Odsonne Edouard all making way.

If Palace were hurting from that fresh defeat, it did not take long for them to enjoy the feeling of scoring their first competitive home goal of the season – less than 90 seconds, in fact.

A harmless clearance from Norwich goalkeeper George Long was delightfully cushioned by Hughes into the path of Jean-Philippe Mateta, who bisected the Norwich defence with a through ball for Kamada.

The Japan international was the coolest man in SE25, touching it round Long and poking it into the unguarded net to put his side ahead.

It was Kamada’s first competitive goal for Palace – but the Eagles were swiftly reminded of the fragility of such leads in knockout competition.

Within five minutes, Norwich ought to have levelled, a clever spin and dart down the left flank from Onel Hernández affording the winger space to pull back for Ante Crnac.

At point-blank range, Dean Henderson made an excellent reaction save – but the ball still spun out to Gabriel Forsyth who, sliding in, somehow conspired to skew his effort against the outside of the post.

In attempting an initial block, Chadi Riad sustained an injury for Palace which forced his substitution for Richards – and moments later, Norwich were forced into a change of their own, with Amkankwah Forson replaced by Kenny McLean.

The resulting six minutes of stoppages somewhat robbed the game of its early momentum, although the home team continued to produce some neat passing moves around the Canaries’ box.

Indeed, while Norwich had more of the ball, it was Ebere Eze who had three opportunities to double Palace’s lead in the remainder of the half.

Two of them, he converted – the first a delicate lob from Marc Guéhi’s through ball, and the latter a placed finish from Mateta’s slide-rule pass – but on both occasions the offside flag was raised. The third was a first-time effort from Tyrick Mitchell’s pull-back, but this time he blasted a first-time strike into the side-netting.

At the other end, there was a presentable opportunity for Norwich’s Marcelino Nuñez – but with time and space on the edge of the ‘D’, his effort was wild.

With a deserved, but slender, lead, Palace re-emerged for the second-half seeking a further cushion; Mateta had a difficult opportunity from a tight angle moments after the restart, but blazed over the bar on the stretch.

This time, the chances kept coming – Eze won a free-kick on the left which he delivered himself with a fierce cross. Guéhi attacked it – but his close-range header spun off a Norwich shirt in close attention, and whistled wide.

Then, a moment of magic to make it two – and who other than Jean-Philippe Mateta at Selhurst Park?

From Palace’s next corner, the Eagles went short, Kamada dropping deep and clipping in a cross which – with his back to goal – still needed some work to divert on target. Mateta produced the spectacular, a bicycle kick motion sweeping the ball into the far corner and leaving goalkeeper Long grasping at thin air.

Within seconds, Eze attempted the same from a Daniel Muñoz cross, although this time the effort was blocked.

As if just to remind Palace they were still in a game, Norwich forced Henderson into a brilliant double save on the counter. The first was an excellent save from Crnac after he shot across goal; the follow-up, springing to his right with the goal gaping to deny Oscar Schwartau, was equally impressive.

In truth, though, Palace were well in control, and Mateta found himself in the right place at the right time six moments later to smash home a third after being picked out by an Eze pull-back; the Eagles’ progression all but sealed.

That goal saw three Palace substitutions and one incoming player, Sarr, wasn’t far from celebrating his first goal for the club – but his lob, from Eze’s inventive pass, landed on the roof of the net.

For his invention alone, Eze deserved his first goal of the season – and appeared to have got it six minutes from time with the cutest of finishes, passing the ball into the bottom corner after dancing across five tackles on the edge of the area. The following week, after the referee’s report was filed and a review of match footage, the EFL awarded the goal to Sarr, who had got the faintest of touches on the ball on its way through.

A comfortable night in the end for Palace at Selhurst Park, off and running for 24/25.

Palace: Henderson (GK), Muñoz (Ward, 78), Clyne, Guéhi, Riad (Richards, 10), Mitchell, Doucouré (Wharton, 69), Hughes (Lerma, 69), Eze, Mateta, Kamada (Sarr, 69).

Subs: Johnstone (GK), Schlupp, Ahamada, Edouard.

Norwich: Long (GK), Fisher, Hanley, Córdoba, Chrisene (Doyle, 58), Nuñez, Gibbs, Forsyth (Schwartau, 58), Forson (McLean, 13), Hernández, Crnac (Sainz, 83).

Subs: Mair (GK), Stacey, Duffy, Sargent, Hills.

As It Happened