Report & Highlights: Palace undone by late Wycombe penalty

Summary

• Powell makes three changes to the side which beat Middlesbrough

• Umeh sees a header saved early on

• Mathurin hits the post with a deflected effort 11 minutes in

• Whitworth pulls off a fine stop to deny a long range effort before half-time

• HT: Wycombe 0-0 Palace

• Grehan blocks Sadlier’s effort on goal on the hour-mark

• Vokes hits the post for Wycombe in the 81st minute

• Whitworth saves Leahy’s penalty in the 90th minute, but Wycombe get to retake it

• Leahy scores at the second attempt from the spot

• FT:  Wycombe 1-0 Palace

Four days on from the 6-2 thumping of Middlesbrough in the Premier League Cup, Palace Under-21s turned their attention to the EFL Trophy as they travelled to face the first-team side of Wycombe Wanderers.

There were three changes to the side: David Ozoh, Victor Akinwale and first-team winger Malcolm Ebiowei all came in for Justin Devenny, Hindolo Mustapha and Ademola Ola-Adebomi.

Palace started the game brightly and created a number of chances early on. The first of which came from a corner kick - Ebiowei whipped a corner into the six-yard box and Franco Umeh rose highest to get a strong header on it, though it was saved by his namesake Franco Ravizzoli in the Wycombe goal.

Just two minutes later, a long diagonal ball from Joe Whitworth managed to pick out Roshaun Mathurin on the edge of the box and the winger raced towards goal. He got his shot away and it deflected off a Wycombe defender and out via the base of the post.

The south Londoners kept creating chances as the half went on. Ebiowei turned his marker in the middle of the pitch and slipped in a perfectly weighted pass to Mathurin out on the left. A cross into the box found Akinwale, though his goalbound header was saved once more.

A late scare at the end of the half from Wycombe’s Dale Taylor almost saw Palace go in a goal behind, but Whitworth reacted well to turn his shot behind after it went through a crowd of players.

After the break the hosts came out with a spring in their step and were attacking from the off, in contrast to the majority of the first-half. Whitworth made a routine stop, whilst efforts from Chris Forino and Kieran Sadlier were wide of the mark.

On the hour-mark, Palace skipper Seán Grehan was in the right place at the right time to deny a fierce goalbound effort from Sadlier inside the box.

It looked as though the sides were going to see out a goalless draw, as second-half substitute Sam Vokes struck the post in the 81st minute for Wycombe and saw a follow-up effort from Sadlier well blocked again by Grehan.

In the 89th minute, while turning his body to defend a cross inside the box, Grehan was adjudged to have handled the ball. Luke Leahy, Wycombe’s number 10, stepped up from the spot and Whitworth pulled off a fantastic stop to deny him.

Unfortunately, the Chairboys were handed a lifeline with an opportunity to retake the penalty, as the referee had deemed Whitworth to be off his line when he made the save. Leahy duly converted at the second time of asking in the 92nd minute, despite Whitworth diving the right way.

A sucker punch of a goal that really took the wind out of the Palace side in the six additional minutes that were played. Powell’s side will have to pick themselves up and dust themselves down with Nottingham Forest to come in the Premier League 2 next.

Wycombe: Ravizzoli (GK), Forino (Low, 62), Wheeler (Potts, 78), Breckin, Boyes (Leahy, 62), Keogh, Taylor (Vokes, 62), Sadlier (Clark, 86), de Baar, Pattenden, Skura.

Subs not used: Shala (GK), Woodhouse.

Palace: Whitworth (GK), Imray, Sheridan, Grehan, Watson, Raymond, Ozoh (Devenny, 45), Umeh, Ebiowei (Eze, 73), Mathurin (Mustapha, 58), Akinwale (Francis, 85).

Subs not used: Izquierdo (GK), Cardines, Dashi.