Report & Highlights: Palace strike Boro for six in stunning second-half

Summary

• Powell makes five changes to the side

• Chances are few and far between in the first-half

• Fletcher fires narrowly wide 13 minutes in for Boro

• Ola-Adebomi hits one from distance over the bar 20 minutes in

• Devenny puts Palace ahead on the stroke of half-time

• HT: Middlesbrough 0-1 Palace

• Ola-Adebomi doubled Palace’s lead shortly after half-time

• Boro pulled one back before the hour-mark through Kavanagh

• Boro equalised with a stunning Kavanagh strike 63 minutes in

• Mathurin responded and reclaimed the lead with a stunning strike four minutes later

• He got Palace’s fourth a minute later

• Ola-Adebomi got his brace and Palace’s fifth in the 78th minute

• Captain Grehan headed home the sixth three minutes later to complete the scoring

• FT: Middlesbrough 2-6 Palace

With the September international break drawing to a close, domestic football returned and Palace Under-21s began their Premier League Cup campaign against Middlesbrough.

Head coach Darren Powell made five changes to the side, with Joe Whitworth, Jadan Raymond, Franco Umeh, Roshaun Mathurin and Hindolo Mustapha all coming into the starting XI.

Chances were few and far between for both sides early on in the first half. Isaac Fletcher saw an attempt go just wide of the mark early on, while Ademola Ola-Adebomi hit a long-range effort just over the bar.

Umeh threatened from a breakaway, as did fellow winger Roshaun Mathurin, though Palace were almost undone at the other end if it wasn’t for a last-ditch sliding challenge from Joe Sheridan to deny Sam Collins.

It looked as though the two sides were going to head into the break level, though Palace managed to find a breakthrough on the stroke of half-time through new summer signing Justin Devenny.

A defensive header from Sheridan found Ola-Adebomi near the centre circle. The Palace No. 9 slipped in Umeh on the break and the winger’s effort struck the base of the post and rebounded perfectly into the path of Devenny to rifle home the opening goal of the match.

The Eagles were a goal to the good, scoring at the perfect time, and managed to carry their momentum from the end of the first-half into the second.

Ola-Adebomi managed to double the lead just seven minutes after the restart, latching on to a perfect Mathurin cross inside the box, taking a touch and then deftly finishing past a helpless Nathan Fisher in the Boro goal.

Palace’s lead in the north east was swiftly cut in half just a few minutes later. The ball fell kindly for Callum Kavanagh inside the Palace final third and the striker curled in a strike along the ground.

He was quickly at the double just after the hour-mark to cancel Palace’s advantage, with a fiercely struck half-volley that nestled in the roof of the net.

The hosts looked to have had the momentum swung in their favour, though Palace had other ideas. Responding to Kavanagh’s stunning strike was an equally special strike from Mathurin.

Ola-Adebomi did well to hold up the ball and lay off Mathurin who raced towards the edge of the box. On his left foot, he managed to pick out the top right corner, firing across the ‘keeper and restoring the lead for the south Londoners.

Just over a minute later, Mathurin secured a brace in scintillating style. The two new signings combined as Mathurin was fed by Devenny, and the winger again attacked the space on the edge of the box. After a few step overs he managed to squeeze it past Fisher’s near post.

The south Londoners had their two-goal lead restored in double quick time and were now in pursuit of a fifth to put the game to bed. Ola-Adebomi managed to get his second and Palace’s fifth with just over 10 minutes remaining.

Outstanding work from Danny Imray down the right hand side saw him beat two defenders by the byline and tee up a perfect ball inside the six-yard box for Ola-Adebomi to head home at the far post.

The three points were all but secured after Ola-Adebomi’s goal, however captain Séan Grehan got in on the act three minutes later.

A deep corner from Devenny picked out the unmarked Palace skipper and he stooped to head in the sixth past the crowd of bodies inside the box.

Powell’s side saw out the remainder of the game with relative ease and now sit top of Group H in the Premier League Cup with three points on the board.

Boro: Fisher (GK), Sykes, Bilongo, Bridge (Cartwright, 78), Hannah, Agyemang, Howells (Whelan, 83), John (McCabe, 69), Kavanagh, Fletcher, Collins.

Subs not used: Popple (GK), Beals.

Palace: Whitworth (GK), Imray, Sheridan, Grehan, Watson, Devenny, Raymond, Umeh (Whyte, 90+5), Mustapha (Ozoh, 62), Mathurin (Francis, 69), Ola-Adebomi.

Sub not used: Izquierdo (GK).