Report & Highlights: Young Eagles brush Baggies aside

Summary

• Matteo Dashi comes in for Tyler Whyte in the only change to the side

• Seb Williams put Palace ahead in the third minute

• Eastwood does well to deny West Brom

• Marsh hits the bar from close range halfway through the first-half

• Palace double their lead through Mustapha half an hour in

• Eastwood again denies West Brom late in the first-half

• HT: Palace 2-0 West Brom

• Mustapha and Williams combine well and force a save early on in the second-half

• Onyemachi pulls one back for West Brom on the hour-mark

• Marsh sees a shot from close range scrambled off the line

• Palace withstand late West Brom pressure to claim all three points

• FT:  Palace 2-1 West Brom

Following on from a spectacular first-half thumping of Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace Under-18s were back in league action as they welcomed West Bromwich Albion to Copers Cope.

Head coach Rob Quinn made a single change to the side, with Matteo Dashi coming in for Tyler Whyte.

Palace got off to the best possible start, taking the lead in the third minute. A cross from top scorer Zach Marsh wasn’t properly cleared by West Brom and it fell into the path of Hindolo Mustapha on the edge of the box.

He played it towards Seb Williams and the No. 11 made no mistake - taking a touch and rifling it in on his left foot to give Palace the lead.

The Baggies attempted to bounce back after going down early on, though they were denied on multiple occasions by Billy Eastwood in the Palace goal. They managed to break in behind twice through Adriel Walker, though he rushed off his line on both occasions to deny the forward.

Halfway through the first-half, Marsh rattled the crossbar from close range after a really well worked Palace move. Williams found himself in space and whipped a delightful ball into Marsh, though he effectively got too much on it from inside the box as his shot bounced back out off the bar.

Just past the half-hour mark, the young Eagles doubled their lead. A weak pass from West Brom goalkeeper Ben Cisse, aimed at his centre-half, was seized upon by an onrushing Mustapha and he made no mistake to finish in his stride into the bottom corner.

Walker was again through on goal for West Brom as they looked to halve the deficit, however Eastwood was again off his line and kept himself big to deny the forward.

After the interval, Eastwood was called into action once again, this time denying a long-range effort from second-half substitute Cheick Kone.

Palace’s two goalscorers combined well in the final third, with Mustapha winning the ball back and feeding Williams, though the latter saw his effort saved.

Marsh came close to notching a third for Palace, getting on the end of a cross from substitute Samuel Lusale, but his shot was saved onto the post by Cisse.

Palace withstood late pressure from the visitors, as they were in search of a late equaliser, and managed to secure all three points. The result means Quinn’s side climb up to fifth place in the U18 Premier League South, level on points with the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea.

Palace: Eastwood (GK), Grante, Jemide (Lusale, 63), King, Cardines, Adams-Collman, Austin, Mustapha, Dashi (Redhead, 90), Marsh, S. Williams.

Subs not used: Hill (GK), Elliott, Cowin.

West Brom: Cisse (GK), Kirton, Sears, Mfuamba (Jenner, 76), Morrish, Sumnall (Maughan, 90), Chimeziri, Deeming, Walker (Kone, 45), Quinn, Onyemachi (Bostock, 73).

Sub not used: Brady (GK).