Report & Highlights: Ipswich stun Palace at Sutton

Summary

• There were eight changes to the side which faced Wimbledon

• Foyo opened the scoring for Ipswich with a flick inside the six-yard box

• Foyo doubles the lead in the 35th minute

• Ipswich add a third through Valentine three minutes later

• The visitors add a fourth before half-time from the spot, via Ayinde

• HT: Palace 0-4 Ipswich

• Palace pull one back early on in the half through Ozoh

• Ozoh nearly gets a brace on the hour-mark

• Imray pulls another one back for Palace 72 minutes in

• Whitworth makes a crucial save late on to deny Foyo a hat-trick

• FT:  Palace 2-4 Ipswich

Three days on from a tough defeat to the first-team of AFC Wimbledon, Crystal Palace Under-21s were back in action under the lights at Sutton as they welcomed Ipswich Town in the Premier League Cup.

There were eight changes to the side which faced the Dons, with only Joe Whitworth, Sean Grehan and David Ozoh keeping their places in the side.

The visitors started the first-half brightly, heading onto the bar and dominating the opening 10 minutes of play. Whitworth was called into action, though only had to make routine stops during their opening salvo.

Palace’s first attempts on goal came shortly after the early period of Ipswich dominance. Franco Umeh got on the end of a cross that was dug out by Noah Watson, though his header lacked power to trouble Henry Gray in the Ipswich goal.

That, along with a corner from Justin Devenny which was met by the head of Seán Grehan, proved to be Palace’s best chances of the half.

The Tractorboys took the lead 25 minutes in, shortly after hitting the post from a long-range effort. A free-kick floated in and headed back across goal was met by Osman Foyo, who flicked it in from close range.

Foyo was quickly at the double just 10 minutes later. Leon Ayinde won the ball back high up the pitch for the visitors and managed to race towards the byline, firing an effort from a narrow angle that was unfortunately parried across into the path of Foyo for a simple finish on the rebound.

Three minutes after they doubled their lead, Ipswich added a third. A floated diagonal free-kick wasn’t properly dealt with by Palace as the ball fell kindly to Nico Valentine, allowing him to drift into the box and fire across into the far corner.

Palace now had a mountain to climb if they were to get anything from this game, and their task was compounded on the stroke of half-time as Ayinde managed to add a fourth for Ipswich from the penalty spot.

Four goals at the break offered an opportunity for Palace to effectively ‘win’ the second-half and they got off to a strong start. Pressure from a flurry of corners and a free-kick early on resulted in Ozoh pulling one back for Palace in the 53rd minute.

He almost secured a brace on the hour-mark - driving through the middle of the park and attempting to curl one into the corner from the edge of the box, though his effort was parried away by Gray.

The Eagles managed to grab another with 20 minutes remaining through second-half substitute Danny Imray. The right-back came ghosting in at the far post to get on the end of a Roshaun Mathurin cross, finishing at the first time of asking on the volley.

Palace chances came and went in search of two goals to draw level - Mathurin fired across the face of goal, while Rodney saw a volley blocked inside the box.

Ultimately, Imray and Ozoh’s goals were in vain as Palace fell to a second defeat in three days. The result means Ipswich leapfrog Palace to the top of Group H in the Premier League Cup, with four points to their name compared to Palace’s three.

Palace: Whitworth (GK), Rodney, Grehan, Francis (Adaramola, 45), Watson, Ozoh, Reid (Imray, 54), Devenny (Akinwale, 88), Umeh, Ola-Adebomi, Mathurin.

Subs not used: Izquierdo (GK), Raymond.

Ipswich: Gray (GK), Jambang (Lavin, 78), Barbrook, Agbaje (O’Connor, 65), Mazionis, Carr, Valentine, Roberts (Turner, 82), Boatswain, Foyo, Ayinde (Oudnie-Morgan, 77)

Sub not used: Binns (GK).