Report & Highlights: Palace's penalty prowess settles South London Cup clash

Summary:

• Four changes as Benítez and Canvot make their Palace debuts.
• 1: Pino cuts inside and sees a curling effort pushed away by Benda.
• 22: A scrappy opening to the game sees little by way of clear opportunities.
• 26: Pino’s side-footed effort is blocked and Muñoz’s rebound header is smothered.
• 29: The Spaniard’s low strike whistles across the face of goal.
• 33: Ballo slips in Neghli who – moments after blasting over – places an effort wide when clean through.
• 38: Ivanovic’s glancing header is well held by Benítez in the Palace goal.
• 43: Benítez saves well from Sturge.
• HT: Palace 0-0 Millwall
• Uche comes on for Palace at the start of the second-half.
• 51: Guéhi meets Sosa’s corner at the near post, but flicks his header over.
• 66: Coburn with a remarkable miss for Millwall from six yards out.
• 72: Mateta’s goalbound effort is blocked after rounding the goalkeeper.
• 73 – GOAL: Richards forces the ball over the line from the resulting corner.
• 88: Richards makes a vital intervention to deny Emakhu in the closing moments.
• 90+1 – GOAL: Leonard flicks home a corner for Millwall in stoppage time.
• 90+3: Mateta slices a close-range chance wide in the closing moments.
• FT: Palace 1-1 Millwall
• Benítez saves twice and Mateta, Richards, Devenny and Kamada all convert, as Palace progress to the fourth round on penalties.

Little over three days after a stalemate at Selhurst against Sunderland, Palace kicked off their 2025/26 domestic Cup campaign – and with quite the occasion to boot: a South London derby in the Carabao Cup third-round against local rivals Millwall.

Oliver Glasner opted to make four changes for Cup tie, handing Palace debuts to summer arrivals Walter Benítez in goal and Jaydee Canvot in defence, along with starts for Borna Sosa and Romain Esse – the latter facing his former club for a second time since his January transfer.

A typically raucous atmosphere engulfed Selhurst Park upon the players’ entrance, with memories fresh of Palace’s 3-1 win over Millwall en route to winning the FA Cup back in March.

The Eagles almost got off to the perfect start, too, with Yeremy Pino finding plenty of room on the edge of the box, before cutting inside and bending a finish towards the far post which Steven Benda – called into action at late notice, following an injury to Millwall’s initial goalkeeper choice in the warm-up – did well to push away.

But for the remainder of the opening quarter of the game, it was about as close as either side would come, with the two rivals cancelling one another out in a combative affair where the final pass all-too-often was misplaced by both sides.

Pino was Palace’s livewire inside the opening 45, and not long after the 25-minute mark went close on two occasions in quick succession.

The Spaniard first raced onto Sosa’s pull-back on the edge of the box and saw his effort blocked – Daniel Muñoz’s subsequent header, from an awkward angle, also smothered by Benda – before some clever footwork inside the box saw him carve out space for an effort across goal, but his left-footed finish pulled wide of the far post.

But for all Palace’s greater threat, the clearest chance of the half went Millwall’s way – and it was admittedly a glorious one, as Camiel Neghli, moments after blazing over from a promising position, was sent clean through by Thierno Ballo, only to slide his finish, one-on-one, wide of the far post in front of a relieved Holmesdale End.

Other than that, Benítez had little else to do – albeit he did catch well from Mihailo Ivanovic’s flicked header at the near post, as well as from Zak Sturge’s well-struck effort from a tight angle at the back stick.

The match needed a spark – and in another deadline day arrival, Christantus Uche, off the bench at half-time, it certainly received it.

The Nigerian came straight into the fray and immediately set about making himself a menace for the Millwall defenders, winning a succession of set-pieces with his strength and trickery, one of which saw Marc Guéhi glance over from Sosa’s delivery.

Uche himself threatened moments later with a miscued volley from Sosa’s cross, whilst Pino was also clever in his movement, heading over at the far post from a hanging delivery.

But for all of Palace’s renewed pressure, it was Millwall who ought to have taken the lead on 66 minutes. How they failed to was anybody’s guess, as Thierno Ballo – the Lions’ chief creator on the night – flashed a cross across the face of goal.

Josh Coburn, on for Millwall at half-time and unmarked in the six-yard box, stumbled in front of goal, and somehow conspired to volley the ball against his own arm and – with the goal gaping – wide of the mark.

It looked like it would prove a turning point as, minutes later, Mateta raced onto Chris Richards’ long ball over the top, held off his marker, round the goalkeeper and – far from goal, on his weaker left foot – saw his effort blocked by the covering defender on the goalline.

But from the subsequent corner, Uche headed the ball down, Mateta attempted to force it home amidst a crowd of bodies – and Richards, sliding in, slammed the ball home from close range.

That looked like it would be enough for Palace – but after a largely uneventful 90 minutes, there was to be remarkable late drama to come in four minutes of stoppage time.

Firstly, a wave of Millwall pressure saw Richards forced to make a goal-saving intervention to deny Aidomo Emakhu down the right channel – moments before the same attacker forced a corner via an acrobatic clearance from Maxence Lacroix.

And in the opening minute of stoppage time,Ryan Leonard, peeling into space at the near post in the first minute of additional time, glanced his header into the top corner for a dramatic, if arguably undeserved, equaliser.

But that was not the end of the chances, as with only a handful of seconds left on the clock, Daichi Kamada slipped in Muñoz, who prodded the ball across the face of goal. Six yards out, Mateta slipped and, to the collective disbelief of Selhurst, sliced wide, desperately unlucky.

To penalty kicks the game went, then, and it spoke much of Mateta’s character that the Frenchman was first up – and duly went high to the goalkeeper’s left, crashing home a crisp strike.

It was Millwall’s turn in front of goal – and Benítez’s to shine, as the Argentina international sprung low down to his right to turn away Tristan Crama’s effort in front of an ecstatic Whitehorse Lane end.

Palace continued to prove flawless from the spot as Richards, Justin Devenny and Kamada all converted their kicks emphatically – the Eagles scoring four from four.

The final action of the night belonged to the debutant Benítez, who dived low to his left to keep out Emakhu’s poorly-struck penalty – and seal Palace’s progress into the Carabao Cup fourth round.

Palace: Benítez (GK), Muñoz, Canvot, Lacroix, Guéhi (Richards, 61), Sosa (Devenny, 71), Hughes, Kamada, Esse (Uche, HT), Pino (Lerma, 71), Mateta.

Subs: Henderson (GK), Mitchell, Clyne, Rodney, Cardines.

Millwall: Benda (GK), Sturge, Crama, Taylor, Ivanovic (Coburn, HT), Neghli (Howland, 78) Kelly (Ballo, 23), Grant (Emakhu, 78), Bangura-Williams (Leonard, 78), Harding, Mazou-Sacko.

Subs: Coleman (GK), Cooper, Bryan, Matthews.

As It Happened