U23s Report: Banks brace guides nine-man Palace to victory over Leicester

Summary

• Paddy McCarthy made two changes to the side, with Malachi Boateng and David Ozoh coming in for David Boateng and David Omilabu

• Killian Phillips put Palace ahead 10 minutes in with his first goal of the season

• Leicester levelled in the 18th minute through Tawanda Maswanhise

• Scott Banks restored the lead for the Eagles with a well-hit free-kick on the half hour mark

• A combination of post and ‘keeper denied Banks from close range 10 minutes before half-time

• Half-time: Crystal Palace 2-1 Leicester City

• Phillips was brought down in the penalty area straight after the restart and Banks stepped up to convert the penalty

• Tayo Adaramola was sent off for a second bookable offence 51 minutes in

• Joe Whitworth pulled off a fingertip save to deny Chris Popov in the 70th minute

• With 15 minutes remaining, Lewis Brunt pulled one back for Leicester from the spot

• Palace were down to nine men as Luke Dreher was sent off for a second bookable offence with seven minutes remaining

• Astute defending from the Eagles saw off the Leicester onslaught with eight minutes added on

• Full-time: Crystal Palace 3-2 Leicester City

A week on from the 2-1 defeat to Blackburn Rovers, Palace were back in action at Copers Cope as they welcomed Leicester City for their penultimate game of the Premier League 2 Division 1 season.

Paddy McCarthy made two changes to the side, with Malachi Boateng returning in place of David Boateng and David Ozoh coming in for David Omilabu.

The Eagles got off to the best possible start. Skipper Malachi Boateng won the ball back on halfway and played it through towards Scott Banks who in turn picked out Jesurun Rak-Sakyi on the right hand side. The winger raced towards the byline and cut the ball back into the path of Killian Phillips, who steered it in from close range for his first goal of the season.

Palace had a spring in their step and almost doubled their lead a minute later. Left-back Tayo Adaramola won the ball back and raced forward into the final third. He floated a ball into the box which Rak-Sakyi cleanly met on the volley, though his effort was saved by Brad Young in the Leicester goal.

Rak-Sakyi was causing all sorts of problems for Leicester early on after setting up the first goal and almost scoring a second. A quarter of an hour in he danced his way past Leicester challenges inside the box and fired across the face of goal, however there was no one on the end of it to tap home.

The Foxes fought back and levelled through Tawanda Maswanhise. The left-winger broke free and curled home a stunning strike on his right foot 18 minutes in.

On the half-hour mark, Rak-Sakyi was brought down during a Palace attack and Banks stepped up to take the resulting free-kick from about 20 yards out. The Scotland U21 international restored Palace’s lead with an immaculate curling effort that went in off the post.

Just as Rak-Sakyi was causing problems after the first goal, it was Banks who was doing the same after the second. Moments after the free-kick he hit the ball across the face of goal towards a stretching John-Kymani Gordon who couldn’t quite get on the end of it.

The south Londoners were on top in the first-half and came racing out the blocks in the second. Phillips was brought down inside the box during Palace’s first attack after the restart and Banks stepped up to register his 10th goal of the season from the spot.

Palace were in complete control. Gordon looked to add a fourth within five minutes of the restart, though his dinked effort beat the ‘keeper and went agonisingly wide of the post.

After picking up a booking in the first-half, Adaramola was adjudged to have committed a second bookable offence with an off the ball challenge on Wanya Marcal-Madivadua and was unfortunately sent off in the 51st minute.

The game was flipped on its head, as Palace found themselves on the backfoot after the prolonged period of dominance. A change in shape after the sending off allowed the visitors to enjoy more of the ball and consequently create more chances.

Goalkeeper Joe Whitworth was equal to a long range effort from Will Alves on the hour-mark and did even better to pull off a fingertip save to deny Chris Popov’s flick on from a corner in the 70th minute.

The East Midlands outfit pulled one back from the spot with 15 minutes remaining through Lewis Brunt to set up a grandstand finish.

With the Eagles already a man down, their task of holding onto the lead was compounded as second-half substitute Luke Dreher was also sent off for a second bookable offence with seven minutes remaining.

Leicester’s relentless onslaught was denied by astute defending as a unit from Paddy McCarthy’s Eagles. Dan Quick did well to react and stop Maswanhise getting a second with a goalline clearance, whilst Whitworth saved and held on to an effort from Ethan Fitzhugh.

After a protracted eight minutes of stoppage time, and a number of spurred chances from Leicester, the nine-men of Palace held on to secure their first victory since the 2-0 triumph over Brighton in February.

The result means Paddy McCarthy’s Eagles remain in eighth place in the Premier League 2 Division 1, with the possibility of finishing as high as fifth if they overcome Derby in their final game of the season.

Crystal Palace: Whitworth, Rodney, Adaramola, M. Boateng (Dreher, 45), Quick, Watson, Banks (Omilabu, 80), Ozoh (Siddik, 57), Gordon, Phillips, Rak-Sakyi.

Subs not used : Goodman, Ola-Adebomi.

Leicester City: Young, Wormleighton (Nelson, 45), Brunt, Flynn, Marcal-Madivadua, Braybrooke, Leshabela, Maswanhise, Suengchitthawon, K. Pennant (Popov, 67), Alves (Fitzhugh, 69).

Subs not used: Doherty, T. Pennant.