Ibra Sekajja hit a hat-trick as Crystal Palace's Academy side beat League Champions Arsenal 4-1 at Selhurst Park this afternoon.
Sekajja got his team off to the best possible start on the third minute when he tapped the ball home from close range after Wilfried Zaha's shot from just inside the box was spilled by the Gunner's keeper Sean McDermott.
Tricky centre forward Zaha nearly made it two on the 20th minute stage when he intercepted a ball played across the back-line and ran towards goal, however his attempted shot on goal was blocked and went out for a corner.
Just two minutes later Kyle De Silva found himself through on goal after another defensive error, but his shot lacked power and accuracy as it went wide of the target.
The young Eagles continued to dominate the first 45 until a misplaced pass from Sekajja gave Steve Bould's side a life-line on the 43rd minute. Jeffrey Monacan latched onto the stray pass 40 yards from goal and took it to the right of the box before cutting inside and curling the ball into the top right with his left boot
Soon after the break the Eagles were soon celebrating again when Sekajja grabbed his second on 49 minutes. Alex Wynter,playing in the centre of midfield, hit a pin-point ball over the Gunners back line and Sekajja controlled perfectly despite being under pressure and smashed the ball into the bottom right from 18 yards.
On the hour mark trialist Liam Bellamy made it 3-1 with a strike into the top corner from 40 yards. The bright midfielder reacted quickly after a hashed clearance from the Gunners custodian saw him leave the goal wide open and Bellamy punished the keeper in sublime fashion.
Academy keeper Charlie Mann was forced into action minutes later when he saved well at his near post after Nigel Neita dribbled his way into box but was denied by Mann's save.
Despite maintaining good spells of possession the Gunners youngsters were unable to penetrate the Eagles back-line with Jerry Nnmani, Jack Holland, Charlie Holness and Matt Parson all putting in good performances against a team that up until today had only lost five games out of their previous 27.
In fact it was Parsons who could have made it four on the 72nd minute when John Williams rolled the ball to the left of the box after a Zaha lay off, but the left-footed full back put his shot over the target.
With less than nine minutes to play Ibra hit the game's fourth and last goal when Williams fed the striker down the right and hit a superb left footed strike into the top right corner, leaving McDermott stranded and resigned to picking the ball out of the net once again.
Rhys Murrell Williamson replaced Wynter for the remaining 10 minutes and nearly made it five as the game entered stoppage time. A headed clearance from an attacking Arsenal corner was nodded wide by Williams to Williamson who proceeded to run 60 yards with the ball beating three Arsenal players in the progress. As he ventured into the box he pulled the trigger and was only denied by an excellent save by McDermott.
As the referee ended the match, Gary Issott's side completed the season with a points tally of 47, just nine points behind the leaders and six ahead of third placed Chelsea, who with three games remaining could still gain the runners up spot from the Crystal Palace youngsters.
Palace: Mann, Pringle (Williams 30), Parsons, Wynter (80, Caprice), Nnamni ©, Holland, Bellamy, Holnesss, Sekajja, Zaha, De Silva (80, Caprice)
Arsenal: McDermott, Moncan, Meade, Edge, Oked, Angha, Wynter, Rees, Ansah, Webb, Neita.
