U21s report: Rodney's last-gasp spot-kick gains Palace a point

Academy

7 Nov 2025

Crystal Palace Under-21s earned a hard-fought point in their final Premier League 2 Division One fixture of 2025, thanks to Kaden Rodney’s emphatic stoppage-time penalty. Adriel Walker opened the scoring for Stoke on 18 minutes, before Favour Fawunmi doubled the visitors’ advantage with his sixth goal of the season. Palace emerged for the second half with renewed attacking intent, and Naouirou Ahamada’s composed finish halved the deficit just after the hour mark. The young Eagles piled on the pressure late on, with Benji Casey appearing to be denied a clear penalty as Stoke clung on. But deep into added time, justice was served when Joel Drakes-Thomas was brought down in the box – and Rodney stepped up to thunder his spot-kick in off the crossbar to secure a deserved 2–2 draw.

Summary:

Darren Powell makes four changes to the side that fell to defeat to Valencia, with U18s skipper Jasper Judd making his debut.
11: Gibbard's arrowed delivery is parried away and Drakes-Thomas almost capitalises on the follow-up.
18 – GOAL: Adriel Walker opens the scoring for Stoke.
26: Marsh side-foots a low delivery across the face of goal, but nobody in red & blue is there to turn home.
30 – GOAL: Favour Fawunmi doubles the young Potters lead.
36: Marsh and Browne have close-range efforts blocked.
HT: Palace 0-2 Stoke
62 – GOAL: Naouirou Ahamada halves the deficit for Palace.
67: Gibbard's whipped free-kick is volleyed over by Casey.
82: Judd departs proceedings following an excellent debut.
86: Casey is sent tumbling down in the box, but somehow the referee doesn't give the penalty.
90 (+4) – GOAL: Kaden Rodney's spot-kick finds the top right corner to seal the last-gasp equaliser!
FT: Palace 2-2 Stoke

Palace were narrowly beaten 1-0 by Valencia in their Premier League International Cup opener at the VBS Community Stadium on Tuesday evening (4th November). Despite carving out several promising opportunities, Darren Powell’s side were undone by a single goal.

Their next test came against a Stoke side who had enjoyed an impressive start to the season. After finishing second from bottom in the 23/24 campaign, the young Potters had mounted a strong recovery in 24/25, finding consistency and confidence under new leadership.

In their most recent outing, Favour Fawunmi’s fifth goal of the season secured a 1-1 draw with West Brom, extending Stoke’s unbeaten run in Premier League 2 to five matches – the longest such streak in the club’s history at this level.

Powell made four changes to the side that faced Valencia. Jackson Izquierdo replaced Harry Lee in goal, while U18s captain Jasper Judd made his 21s debut at right wing-back in place of Adler Nascimento.

Naouirou Ahamada came in for Dylan Reid in midfield, with Joel Drakes-Thomas returning from international duty to start on the right of the front three ahead of Seb Williams. Asher Agbinone also replaced Benji Casey on the left, while skipper Luke Browne returned after missing the Valencia game, having been replaced at the last minute by Jake Grante.

Palace began brightly, showing real attacking intent from the first whistle. Zach Marsh was caught marginally offside early on – just too eager to get in behind – but the intent was clear. Down the right flank, Judd and Drakes-Thomas linked up impressively, offering an early outlet going forward.

Play was briefly halted following a collision involving Joe Gibbard, but the wing-back was able to continue. Moments later, he whipped in a dangerous cross that the ‘keeper could only parry, with Drakes-Thomas almost pouncing on the rebound.

However, approaching the quarter-hour mark, Palace nearly became architects of their own downfall. Under pressure inside their own area, Kaden Rodney was dispossessed, and the ball was squared dangerously across goal. Fortunately, Browne produced a superb last-ditch sliding challenge to deny a certain goal, and the loose ball was eventually cleared.

Just three minutes later, Stoke took the lead through Adriel Walker. Andre Vidigal’s whipped delivery found Chinoso Chibueze, whose powerful header forced a fine reaction save from Izquierdo – but Walker was quickest to the rebound, slotting home from close range.

The young Eagles responded well. Midway through the half, Browne threaded a perfectly weighted pass into the right channel for Marsh, who fired a low cross across the face of goal, but no one in red and blue was there to turn it in.

Powell’s side continued to probe, with Agbinone driving dangerously into the box only to be denied by a perfectly timed sliding challenge. Drakes-Thomas then forced the Stoke keeper into a full-stretch tip-over with a sharp, swivelled effort just inside the area.

Despite dominating possession and enjoying their best spell of the half, Palace were hit on the counter as Stoke doubled their advantage. From a Palace corner, substitute Syd Agina broke the length of the pitch, shrugging off challenges from Rodney and Judd before cutting it back for Favour Fawunmi to tap in his sixth goal of the season.

With ten minutes remaining in the half, Browne was pushed further forward, and both he and Marsh saw close-range efforts blocked as Palace pushed to halve the deficit. Frustration began to creep in as the young Eagles pressed high but struggled to break down a resolute Stoke defence, leaving gaps when out of possession.

As half-time approached, the game’s tempo dipped, with both sides seemingly content to regroup.

The final action came from a Stoke corner, which fell kindly to a yellow shirt at the back post, only for Izquierdo to spread himself brilliantly and deny a third. At the other end, Gibbard’s inswinger found Mofe Jemide, but from a tight angle his header was comfortably claimed.

Palace began the second half with purpose as Agbinone burst down the left flank and drove into the penalty area. His powerful cross fizzed towards the onrushing Judd at the far post, but the wing-back couldn’t quite bring it under control.

The contest quickly developed into an end-to-end affair, with Stoke countering at pace –much like they had in the first half. Both sides continued to move the ball briskly, maintaining a high tempo despite the intensity of the first period.

Around the hour mark, Palace began to dominate possession, dictating the tempo and probing patiently in search of an opening. Despite their control, clear chances were limited.

That changed midway through the half when Marsh’s clever movement created space in behind; he laid the ball off to Ahamada, who danced past a pair of defenders and into the box. His initial strike was blocked, but he reacted quickest to the rebound, rifling home to halve the deficit. Substitute Benji Casey played his part in the build-up as the young Eagles deservedly pulled one back.

Following the goal, Palace were firmly in the ascendancy. Gibbard’s free-kick from the right channel was whipped in beautifully towards the onrushing Casey, who met it on the volley but could only lift his effort over the bar at full stretch.

Suddenly, Stoke found themselves under sustained pressure, forced to withstand wave after wave of Palace attacks as a flurry of shots and crosses rained in.

As the clock wound down, the game opened up once more. With three minutes remaining, Marsh picked out David Obou on the turn, who slipped an incisive pass through to Casey. The substitute was sent tumbling as he bore down on goal, and when the referee’s whistle sounded, it appeared he had awarded a penalty.

However, confusion followed as the decision instead went against Casey for handball — much to the disbelief of both benches, with Powell making his frustrations clear on the touchline.

On 90 minutes, Ahamada produced another moment of quality, sliding a delightful outside-of-the-boot pass into the path of Obou down the left channel. His driven cross flashed across the face of goal, agonisingly beyond the reach of Casey by the narrowest of margins.

But Palace’s persistence was finally rewarded deep into stoppage time. Drakes-Thomas darted into the penalty area and was brought down, winning a spot-kick. Rodney stepped up and thundered his penalty in off the underside of the crossbar, an emphatic finish into the top corner.

From two goals down, Palace showed tremendous spirit to rescue a deserved point – a performance full of character and fight from Powell’s young Eagles. The result leaves Powell's side ninth on 14 points, level with Wolves.

Palace: Izquierdo, Judd (Obou, 83'), King, Jemide, Browne ©, Ahamada, Gibbard, Rodney, Marsh, Agbinone (Casey, 59'), Drakes-Thomas.

Subs not used: Lee (GK), Reid, Grante.

Stoke: Clothier, Powell (Agina, 10' - Matondo, 91'), Bickerton, Otegbayo, Griffin, Kelly, Vidigal, Omokhod, Walker (Bailey, 76'), Fawunmi, Chibueze.

Subs not used: Cooper, Maskall.

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