Crucial Cameos and Super Subs: Five of the Best

Mateta’s impact was the latest in a line of successful substitute cameos, so here are some of our favourites down the years...

Plymouth Argyle 2-4 Palace

Three substitutions – and within the next five minutes, three goals. Some impact.

With Palace in trouble on the south coast, Roy Hodgson turned to Jeff Schlupp, Ebere Eze and Jordan Ayew to turn things around, and a frenetic period of goalscoring followed. With each substitution getting an assist, the Eagles were into the third round, where a trip to Old Trafford awaits…

Palace 3-0 Tottenham Hotspur

Selhurst Park, meet Odsonne Edouard.

The new man made himself an instant hero, scoring 28 seconds into his Premier League debut in September 2021 and adding a second shortly after to give Palace an emphatic victory over Spurs – in doing so becoming the first Palace debutant to score twice since Danny Light at home to Hull on 6th May, 1967

His goal was the fastest goal in Premier League history by a debutant off the bench; the previous fastest was scored against the Eagles, by West Brom’s Thievy in 2013/14.

It was also the quickest debutant goal for a Palace player in the modern era, beating Ibra Sekajja’s strike against Hull City in April 2011 (30 seconds).

Brighton & Hove Albion 1-2 Palace

‘Smash and grab, baby’.

The immortal words of Joel Ward after Christian Benteke, on in the 75th minute, smashed home a volleyed winner six minutes into added time to give Palace the unlikeliest of wins at the Amex.

The only crime is that no fans were inside the stadium to see it – but we still like to relive it from time to time…

Brighton 2-3 Palace

Fancy another last-minute goal from a substitute away at Brighton? Why not.

Back in 2005, Palace were celebrating late on once again, when Jobi McAnuff’s late drive completed a spirited comeback.

Palace had recovered from behind twice already, with a brace from Dougie Freedman cancelling out two Leon Knight goals.

Sunderland 2-1 Palace [4-4 agg]

Not a winning goal – not even an equaliser on the night per se – but a huge goal in Palace’s recent history.

Trailing to Sunderland heading into added time back in 2004, Palace were moments from exiting the play-offs and the semi-final stage.

Darren Powell, brought on in place of Danny Granville for the final assault on Sunderland’s back line, popped up with a late goal to rescue the Eagles’ promotion ambitions.

They went on to win the match on penalties, and beat West Ham United in the play-off final a week later; the rest, as they say, is history.