Crystal Palace mark Europa League debut with 4-0 rout of Lech Poznan
Crystal Palace marked their Europa League debut with a 4-0 rout of Polish champions Lech Poznan at Selhurst Park, the victory easing the pressure on new manager Pierre Sage and finally giving the club the European night they were denied a year earlier.
It was worth the wait for Palace, who had been refused their rightful place in the competition last season. The Frenchman Sage has big shoes to fill in replacing Oliver Glasner, who won three trophies in 12 months, and there had been talk of disquiet behind the scenes following his decision to drop teenager Jaydee Canvot at the weekend. Those concerns were put aside on a night when the result was never in doubt.
Yegbe's throw-in hands Pino the opener
Poznan gifted Palace the lead direct from their own throw-in, Terry Yegbe's attempt to restart play going horribly wrong as Yéremy Pino pounced to score. Chris Richards doubled the advantage by heading in a deep corner from Adam Wharton, and Jørgen Strand Larsen dispatched a penalty after Pino was brought down by Radoslaw Murawski to make the points safe by half-time.
There could have been another in spectacular fashion just before the interval when Yegbe hammered the ball into his own net, but the assistant's flag went up for offside against Strand Larsen and the defender was spared.
Murawski off as Nketiah completes the scoring
Any lingering hope of a Poznan comeback ended late on when captain Radoslaw Murawski was sent off for a reckless foul on Canvot, the very player at the centre of the weekend selection debate. Eddie Nketiah, introduced from the bench, rounded off the win with a late fourth.
Palace were given a helping hand well before the sending-off, but they also showed their defensive frailties again. Poznan's European campaign started on 21 July and the Polish champions were almost able to celebrate a goal inside the opening two minutes, only for their captain Mikael Ishak to fluff his lines.
The vociferous travelling support later decided the moment had come to perform the dance they have made famous, turning their backs after a poor first-half performance from their side. At least they could amuse themselves by letting off a series of flares in the second half, just as Pino came close to adding his second of the night.
Sage savours a historic night
Sage was delighted to have shared in Palace's historic moment before a meeting with his former club Lyon next month.
"I saw a lot of videos about the fans, especially during the journey in the Conference League last year," he said. "They were incredible and I want to share the same thing with them this year."
Ismaïla Sarr's first appearance of the season was greeted with the odd boo after his hopes of a move to Liverpool were dashed in the transfer window. But the reception for the Senegal forward was largely positive as Nketiah also came off the bench to complete the job on a night that Palace will hope can kickstart life under Sage.
Attention now turns quickly to domestic matters. Palace face a testing trip to face in-form Leeds on Sunday, having conceded 11 goals from their opening four Premier League matches.