Report & Highlights: Brighton battered by Palace in PL2 play-offs

Summary

• Two changes as Cardines and Jemide come into the side

• 6: Ola-Adebomi has an early shot blocked, Umeh hits the side netting

• 8: Rodney makes a vital block to deny Brighton

• 15: Mustapha’s effort from a narrow angle is saved

• 19: Rodney finds Ola-Adebomi with a great ball, but his effort is saved

• 23 - GOAL: MUSTAPHA SMASHES PALACE AHEAD

• 35: Brighton hit the side netting

• 37 - GOAL: UMEH DOUBLES THE LEAD FROM CLOSE RANGE

• HT: Palace 2-0 Brighton

• 50: Jemide slides in well to deny Brighton

• 52 - GOAL: Knight scores for Brighton

• 55: Moulden makes a good save to deny a curling Brighton effort

• 56 - GOAL: KPORHA NETS A SOLO EFFORT

• 63: Cardines fires over in search of a fourth

• 66: Palace counter brilliantly, but it’s saved by the ‘keeper

• 90+1: Brighton nearly pull one back late on

• 90+2: Ola-Adebomi’s attempt at getting a fourth is stopped

• FT: Palace 3-1 Brighton

• Palace progress to the PL2 play-off quarter-finals

Two weeks on from their final game of the Premier League 2 regular season against Chelsea, Crystal Palace Under-21s welcomed rivals Brighton & Hove Albion to the VBS Community Stadium for their first Premier League 2 play-off game.

Head coach Darren Powell made two changes to the side which faced Chelsea, giving starts to Rio Cardines and Mofe Jemide in place of Jake Grante and Zach Marsh. Joel Drakes-Thomas featured on the bench for the first time at this level.

Palace started on the front-foot, with the backing of a vocal crowd at Sutton. Ademola Ola-Adebomi saw an effort blocked, while Franco Umeh saw an effort rustle the side netting.

Brighton did come venturing down the Palace end for their first chance of the game, however Kaden Rodney did brilliantly to slide in at the last to deny the visitors.

More Palace chances kept flowing early on in the half: Hindolo Mustapha did brilliantly to skip past his man on the left-hand side and fire an effort from a narrow angle that was saved.

Ola-Adebomi was played in by an excellent Rodney through ball, though the Palace No. 9 saw his effort blocked at the last by recovering Brighton defenders.

A goal for Palace seemed inevitable and it came halfway through the first-half through Mustapha. Brilliant work down the right from Caleb Kporha saw him force a deflected Brighton clearance that was almost headed in by Umeh.

The ball was kept alive by Rio Cardines who flicked it into the path of Mustapha who lashed home a fierce effort on the volley to give Palace the lead. Killian Cahill in the Brighton goal had absolutely no chance.

As the first-half went on it was a scrappy and feisty affair, with incidents breaking out throughout and delaying the game. Brighton’s arguably best chance of the half came 35 minutes in, when they hit the side netting.

Just a couple of minutes after that, Palace were wheeling away in celebration once more. Jemide put in a great ball on the left towards Ola-Adebomi, who got a shot away under pressure.

It was saved by Cahill in the Brighton goal, but Umeh reacted quickest to poke home inside the six-yard box for his third goal in three games.

Palace saw out the remainder of the half, incidents and yellow cards aside, to go into the break with a strong 2-0 lead.

The seasiders attempted to hit back early on in the second-half to halve the deficit, but Jemide was on hand to slide in and block an effort on the edge of the box. They did pull one back, however, as Joe Knight scored from long range.

Louie Moulden was called into action to deny a goal bound curling effort a few moments later, which proved to be the best chance Brighton would have at drawing level.

Palace found their stride in the second-half after the early Brighton goal and quickly restored the two-goal cushion. Kporha won the ball back high up the pitch, raced into the box and coolly slotted past Cahill for the fourth.

The Palace faithful at the VBS Community Stadium were in full voice once again when Kporha netted, and the boys in red and blue continued to push on for more. Kporha was causing havoc down the right and picked out Cardines who came close to adding a fourth just past the hour-mark.

Brighton’s attempts at pulling another one out were easily snuffed out and they were almost hit on the counter multiple times. An excellent move from Mustapha, Ola-Adebomi and Umeh from one box to the next nearly resulted in a picture-perfect counter, but Cahill stopped the final effort.

The final third of the game lulled and was broken up by multiple delays, substitutions and fouls. In the four minutes that were added on, two chances came and went for both sides - with Brighton even sending their goalkeeper up for a corner.

Victory means that Powell and his side progress to the quarter-final of the Premier League 2 play-off stage, where they will take on Chelsea imminently.

Palace: Moulden (GK), Kporha, King, Jemide, Browne, Gibbard, Cardines, Rodney, Ola-Adebomi, Mustapha (Reid, 74), Umeh (Marsh, 84).

Subs not used: Grante, Williams, Drakes-Thomas.

Brighton: Cahill (GK), Albarus, Slater, Simmonds (Nti, 76), Penman, Knight, Howell (Bashir, 76), Chouchane, Belmont (Owusu, 76), Mullins, Oriola.

Subs not used: Hall (GK), Mackley.