Story of the game
It was a breathless start, with Palace forced to weather early pressure from the hosts. Josh Muwana produced two crucial blocks to keep things level, while Benetton was also called into action.
As the half wore on, the young Eagles began to assert control, carving out a string of chances through Mylo Bernard, David Angibeaud and Chuks Okoli. Stuart Oduro struck the crossbar as Palace piled on the pressure, and their dominance was finally rewarded when Muwana reacted quickest in a goalmouth scramble to bundle home the opener before the break.
Peterborough responded after half-time, levelling on 55 minutes through Boluwatife Shofowoke after a swift counter-attack. But Palace quickly regained momentum.
Substitute Donte Martin turned the tie on its head with two goals in as many minutes — first volleying home Daniel Owoade’s low cross, before rifling in from close range after neat build-up play involving Euan Danaher and Angibeaud.
From there, Palace controlled proceedings, with Benetton making another key one-on-one save to preserve their advantage. The young Eagles continued to threaten a fourth, but Martin’s brace was enough to seal a deserved victory.
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