Mason launched a short goal-kick long, and Angibeaud’s deft flick sent Donte Martin racing down the left. He delivered a dangerous low cross that Leo Stretton gathered – an early warning from Palace inside two minutes.
The opening 10 minutes passed without a clear sight of goal, as both sides shared possession in a cagey start.
Palace gradually found their rhythm, creating openings as Lee threaded a beautifully weighted pass into the path of Greaves on the right edge of the area, only for a timely sliding tackle to deny him. Moments later, a whipped delivery was partially cleared to Martin, who’s sweetly struck volley flashed just past the near post.
Approaching the 20-minute mark, the hosts began to assert themselves, enjoying the lion’s share of possession and testing Mason with a sharp close-range save to keep Palace in the game.
By midway through the half, neither ‘keeper had been seriously troubled, though Palace continued probing for opportunities behind the Foxes’ disciplined low block.
As the first half entered its final third, Bismark Owusu broke the deadlock for Leicester, drifting inside before firing a low, powerful shot into the far corner beyond a diving Mason.
The frustration for the visitors so far was that Leicester’s chances had come from Palace errors, but the tall, imposing Angibeaud was proving a constant threat leading the attack.
In two minutes of added time, Oduro played a neat layoff to Raihaan Anderson, whose cross appeared to strike a defender’s arm, prompting penalty appeals that were waved away. Despite Palace’s best efforts to find an equaliser, they went into the break trailing.
