Report & Highlights: Scintillating Palace hit Liverpool for six

Summary

• Quinn makes three changes to the side which beat Reading last time out

• Mustapha puts Palace ahead six minutes in

• King heads home a second for Palace on his first start

• Marsh adds a third just before half-time

• Liverpool pull one back in first-half stoppage time through Danns

• HT: Palace 3-1 Liverpool

• Derry nets his fifth goal of the season shortly after half-time

• Eastwood denies Liverpool with a strong double save

• Morrison’s effort is tipped onto the bar by Eastwood in the 75th minute

• Marsh secures his brace after lax Liverpool defending

• Marsh seals hat-trick just before second-half stoppage time

• FT:  Palace 6-1 Liverpool

A week on from the 2-1 win against Reading, which saw the side go top of the Under 18 Premier League South table, Crystal Palace U18s began their campaign in the Premier League Cup against Liverpool.

Head coach Rob Quinn made three changes to the side, with Caleb Kporha, George King and Seb Williams coming in for Kai-Reece Adams-Collman, Mofe Jemide and Tyler Whyte.

Palace were pressing from the front and causing problems for the visitors early on. They made their early pressure count by finding the breakthrough six minutes in.

Hindolo Mustapha did brilliantly to intercept a pass to Ben Trueman just outside the box and raced towards goal with the ball in his stride. He coolly slotted into the side netting to give the young Eagles the lead.

After going a goal ahead, Quinn’s side kept pushing in search of another. They duly got a second just over 10 minutes later through King on his first start of the season.

The centre-back rose highest to get on the end of a brilliant delivery from a Jesse Derry free-kick, heading home at the first time of asking.

The young Eagles were in complete control as the half wore on, with Williams, Matteo Dashi and Zach Marsh coming close to adding more goals to the tally.

Marsh did in fact notch his first of the game just before half-time. The striker found himself in the right place at the right time to pounce on a misplaced pass, after great pressing from Dashi, and finished with ease past a helpless Kornel Misicur in the Liverpool goal.

Liverpool did manage to pull one back in first-half stoppage time, with Jayden Danns finding space inside the box and firing a fierce shot into the back of the net.

After the interval, both sides came racing out the blocks in search of the crucial next goal. Liverpool were looking to bring the deficit down to one, while Palace were looking to replenish their three-goal lead.

The south Londoners did exactly that just 10 minutes after the restart as Derry slotted home his fifth goal of the season. Mustapha did well to intercept another pass in the final-third and played a perfectly weighted ball into Derry’s path - the winger couldn’t miss, curling it in on his right foot.

Billy Eastwood was called into action shortly after Derry’s goal and managed to pull off two fine stops. The young Palace ‘keeper came rushing off his line to smother Trent Kone-Doherty’s attempt and reacted brilliantly to charge down and collect the ball before Danns could get a clean shot away.

Eastwood again reacted well to tip a long-range effort from Kiernan Morrison onto the crossbar in the 75th minute. It looked as though the young Eagles were going to see out the game, though captain Marsh had other ideas.

Reacting quickest to a misplaced pass from Misicur, Marsh added a fifth for Palace with seven minutes to go. He then secured his second hat-trick of the season after getting on the end of a perfectly threaded ball from Adams-Collman and finishing on his right foot.

Marsh’s hat-trick and Palace’s sixth came just before six minutes of stoppage time. The referee duly brought an end to proceedings after the allotted time and that signalled a winning start to Palace’s U18 Premier League Cup campaign. They are top of Group G on goal difference, ahead of second-place Fulham.

Palace: Eastwood (GK), Kporha (Adams-Collman, 16), King, Grante, Cardines, Austin, Williams (Elliott, 77), Mustapha, Dashi (Redhead, 89), Marsh, Derry (Omobolaji, 89).

Sub not used: Hill (GK).

Liverpool: Misicur (GK), Pitt, Gyimah, Lucky, Nallo (Furnell-Gill, 77), Trueman (Laffey, 77), Kone-Doherty, Ahmed, Danns, Ngoni (Onanuga, 63), Morrison.

Subs not used: Morana (GK), Giblin.