Sage pleased with manner of victory over Poznan
Pierre Sage was pleased not just with Crystal Palace’s 4-0 win over Lech Poznań – but the manner in which they won out at Selhurst Park.
The Eagles recorded their second competitive clean sheet of the season against the Polish league champions, blunting a Poznań attack which had – sensationally – scored in each of its previous 15 away matches in Europe.
Although Palace were forced to hang on in moments, it was they who brought the cutting and clinical edge in front of goal in SE25, as goals from Yéremy Pino, Chris Richards, Jørgen Strand Larsen and Eddie Nketiah saw Palace record their biggest-ever win on the continent in their UEFA Europa League debut.
“We are always happy when we win, but especially in this way of playing,” Sage told Palace TV. “We scored four goals with a different way to score, with different players and a clean sheet.
“But I remember that there were two bad moments in the first-half and in the second-half, maybe 10, 15 minutes, we lost too much the ball at this moment and we have to be more consistent in all the game. That's why I'm happy, but I keep that in mind too.
“That's always the balance because everybody wants entertainment, but sometimes entertainment is by defending together. It's more difficult for the players to understand this kind of thing. But I think this evening they did it and they did it well.
“It [a clean sheet] is not a trophy, if you want, but it's a good sign because we worked a lot, a lot, a lot this week about that because we struggled in our last game. Sometimes it's important to have the benefits of what you do.”
He's not a world champion for nothing, you know
—Pierre Sage
Sage added of Pino, who was a livewire throughout – scoring, winning a penalty and teeing up numerous teammates: “He's not a world champion for nothing, you know.
“He's an incredible player when he's like this. That's why I let him on the pitch, because I think he enjoys it.
“He gives a lot of enjoyment to the fans. That's why this kind of thing is really important to share it. And at the end, he felt a little cramp coming.”
Palace now face a quick turnaround before heading to Elland Road to face third-placed Leeds United – unbeaten thus far in the Premier League – on Sunday.
“Big game,” Sage affirmed. “I saw this team against Chelsea in Stamford Bridge [a 6-3 defeat in the Carabao Cup] and they played well against Newcastle too [winning 4-1].
“That's why we have to be in our best shape at the moment and we have to keep the confidence we built this evening to get a good result there.”
Sage also took a moment to reflect on the sad passing of Kevin Miller earlier in the day, dedicating Thursday night’s victory to the former Palace goalkeeper’s family and memory.