Uche Sparks Comfortable Palace Victory at Shelbourne.
Despite entering their first-ever continental adventure, Crystal Palace are adapting very quickly. Without star figures like forward Jean-Philippe Mateta and wing-back Daniel Muñoz, the London club departed Dublin with a commanding result that all but secures them a place in the Europa Conference League playoffs.
A further three points in their next fixture against Finnish KuPS ought to be sufficient to secure direct entry to the knockout stages, especially following a previous stumble against Strasbourg.
Fringe Players Grasp the Opportunity
This match provided a chance for several Palace's lesser-used talent to impress. Christantus Uche, in only his second start since arriving on loan from Getafe, notched the scoring with a clinical goal. Forward Eddie Nketiah contributed a second, finding the net for the second game in succession.
The Shelbourne side that had finished their domestic season were outmatched against a mostly rotated Palace outfit. The visitors were already depleted by the news that Mateta and Muñoz are sidelined with knee problems.
Dominance Asserted from the Outset
In spite of torrential rain in Dublin, Palace quickly established dominance. A flowing move in the 11th minute, initiated by Daichi Kamada's incisive pass, allowed Nketiah to set up Uche for a simple tap-in.
Youngster Adam Wharton came close minutes later, driving a powerful effort over the bar. Nketiah then appealed for a penalty after bursting into the box, but the referee dismissed the appeals.
Ex-Arsenal man did not have wait long to get his goal, prodding home from a yard out after Uche's effort had struck the post.
The home side were hanging on for dear life. Defender Kameron Ledwidge was lucky to avoid a booking for a couple of robust challenges on Yeremy Pino, before Chris Richards struck the crossbar with a header from a corner.
Pino Wraps Up the Contest
The match was effectively over eight minutes from half-time. Yeremy Pino weaved past a series of weak challenges before calmly dispatching a shot past keeper Wessel Speel to make it 3-0.
Following the break, manager Oliver Glasner seized the opportunity to rest key individuals like Kamada and Wharton. Replacement Romain Esse came close to scoring with his first touch, but saw his shot blocked.
Esse was desperately unlucky later on, seeing one shot crash off each posts before being gathered on the line. Uche also missed a glaring chance, showing there is still room for development in his game.
A solitary worry for Palace was a late knock to Justin Devenny, who was forced off. This allowed 17-year-old striker Benji Casey to make his first-team debut, capping an otherwise positive night for the traveling side.