Palace tame Shrews

August 25 2015

Glenn Murray (Photo: Andy Roberts)

Crystal Palace eventually made it through to the Capital One Cup third round after a 4-1 extra-time win at home to Shrewsbury.

Despite playing two divisions below Palace, the Shrews proved to be stubborn opposition and the Premier League side really had to grind out the victory.

The Shropshire outfit took a ninth-minute lead after neat build-up play saw Matt Tootle finish with a low near-post shot beyond the recalled Wayne Hennessey.

Palace, with nine changes from Saturday's league game, looked laboured but they equalised from the spot four minutes before half-time through Dwight Gayle after Wilfried Zaha was fouled in the area.

With the scores level after the regulation 90, the tie went into extra time and substitute Glenn Murray made it 2-1 to the hosts with a penalty that he won himself on 95 minutes.

Two minutes later, Chung-yong Lee gave Palace a cushion with a third goal, shooting into the far corner from the left.

Then Wilfried Zaha headed sub Pape Souare's perfect left-wing cross into the back of the net for his second goal of the season for 4-1 and a place in the next round.

Palace: Hennessey, Ward (Souare 46), Mariappa, Hangeland, Kelly, Ledley, Jedinak (Mutch 50), Zaha, Gayle, Lee, Bamford (Murray 74).

Not used: McCarthy, Kaikai, Dann, Puncheon

Shrewsbury: Leutwiler, Tootle, Ellis, Grandison, Sadler, Lawrence (Wesolowski 90), R Woods, Ogogo, Brown, Akpa-Akpro (Barnett 86), Collins (Whalley 103).

Not used: Halstead, Woods, Clark, McAlinden

Palace manager Alan Pardew said: "I didn't think he [Patrick Bamford] had his best night, Patrick, but he's a good player. He's finding the level here is a little bit higher than Middlesbrough, to get into that team.

"Shrewsbury played well. Over the course of the 90 minutes we were the better team. We were dysfunctional, a few rusty ones and nine changes. A bit of a risk, but fortunately we scraped through and finished with a great goal. I thought Ledley and Lee did well. Mariappa and Zaha, too. The pick of the bunch."

Shrewsbury boss Micky Mellon said: "The way we passed it and tried to get good control of the game I thought was fantastic.

"In the end some unbelievable quality told, and we looked like the team that had played six games in two weeks. I must admit I wouldn't have wanted to go to extra time.

"It's been a tough demand on us but I couldn't be prouder of the way they represented the football club and the way they performed. I think they were fresher than us at the end."

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