Summary:
- Top goalscorer David Omilabu leads the line alongside Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and Victor Akinwale
- West Brom take the lead 15 minutes in, forcing an own goal from a corner
- The Eagles respond five minutes later through Rak-Sakyi
- Akinwale doubles the lead for Palace just a minute after Rak-Sakyi scores
- Half-time: Crystal Palace 2-1 West Bromwich Albion
- Palace start the second-half brightly as Maliq Cadogan scores
- Omilabu scores his 20th goal of the season as he adds Palace’s fourth and fifth
- Substitutes John-Kymani Gordon and Ademola Ola-Adebomi net the sixth and seventh in injury time
- Full-time: Crystal Palace 7-1 West Bromwich Albion
The young Eagles put the Baggies to the sword the last time the two teams met in March, after coming away 7-1 winners in the Midlands.
Palace came into the game at the top of the U18 Premier League South, three points clear of second-place Fulham, who have a game in hand. A win would put the Eagles six points clear as they look to get their hands on the title.
Paddy McCarthy named the same side that brushed aside local rivals Brighton & Hove Albion 5-1 last weekend. Victor Akinwale led the line alongside leading goal scorer David Omilabu.
A long range shot from Malik Cadogan early on was Palace’s first sight of goal seven minutes in, however his effort went just wide of the post.
The Baggies took the lead through a corner in the opening quarter of an hour, after forcing an unfortunate own goal from Joe Whitworth.
Palace responded almost immediately, wiht great combination play from the front three seeing Jesurun Rak-Sakyi fire narrowly wide.
The young winger did then get his name on the scoresheet moments later, pouncing on a wayward clearance off the line from an Akinwale shot.
Lightning struck twice for the Eagles as they doubled their lead a minute later. Tayo Adaramola linked up well with Akinwale, setting the striker up to coolly slot home his eighth goal of the season.
A while later, Baggies winger Reyes Cleary cut inside from the right to fire as the visitors searched for a way back into the game, but his shot wasn’t an issue for Whitworth.
The West Brom defence couldn’t deal with Rak-Sakyi’s explosive pace as he was brought down inside the box, though the penalty appeal fell on deaf ears.
The half-time whistle blew with the Eagles 2-1 up. As it stood, they were moving six points clear and in touching distance of securing the title.
Passion.#CPFC | https://t.co/utMcYSDkhb pic.twitter.com/gI6z2ma9RM
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) May 8, 2021
The Eagles picked up where they left off at the start of the second-half. Joe Sheridan picked out Akinwale with a brilliant 50-yard pass, as he squared it across for Maliq Cadogan to make it 3-1.
Moments later, the wind played a part in a chaotic fourth goal for Palace as a clearance from West Brom ‘keeper Ronnie Hollingshead was caught in a gale. After winning the header, the ball fell to Wells-Morrison who played in Omilabu and the forward made no mistake in finding the bottom corner.
With 10 minutes left on the clock, the Eagles added a fifth. A well-worked move between Rak-Sakyi and Akinwale saw Omilabu through on goal. The striker netted his 20th of the season in fantastic fashion, rifling it in from inside the 18-yard box.
The Baggies pushed for a consolation late on, but resolute defending from centre-backs Dan Quick and Sheridan kept their tally firmly at one.
Deep into injury time, Palace secured a sixth to almost mirror the previous result against West Brom. Second-half substitute John-Kymani Gordon turned Zachary Ashworth in the box and skipped past another challenge before sending the goalkeeper the wrong way.
The young Eagles managed to mirror the result in early March by adding a seventh just before the final whistle. Skipper Aiden Steele pushed towards the edge of the box to find Cadogan who put it on a plate for Ademola Ola-Adebomi to tap-in.
The win against West Brom means that the young Eagles are now six points clear of second place Fulham. The Cottagers must drop points in their next clash for Palace to win the title.
You can find out more info on all the possible paths to glory by clicking here.
Crystal Palace: Whitworth, Rodney, Adaramola, Steele, Sheridan, Quick, Omilabu (Ozoh 80), Wells-Morrison, Akinwale (Gordon 80), Cadogan, Rak-Sakyi (Ola-Adebomi 80).
Subs: Brown, Goodman, Ozoh, Gordon, Ola-Adebomi.
West Bromwich Albion: Hollingshead, Williams (Ingram 65), Grant (Ashworth 65), N’Goma, Sousa, M. Richards, Lamb, Cleary, Wangussi, R. Richards (Malcolm 63), Faal.
Subs: Grant, Ashworth, Malcolm, Ingram.
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