Crystal Palace’s rise over the past two seasons has brought an FA Cup triumph and European success in the Conference League. The Europa League represents a tougher test, but their performance against Lech Poznan offered plenty of encouragement that they can compete at the higher level.
Palace took control after a major mistake from Terry Yegbe, whose misplaced throw allowed Pino to collect the ball and move into the area before finishing. The Polish side struggled to recover, and were fortunate not to concede again when an attempted clearance from Yegbe travelled towards his own goal from distance before being ruled out for offside.
Lech’s travelling supporters continued to back their side throughout the second half, but Palace remained in command and added a fourth goal late on to complete a convincing victory. The result should provide a significant lift after a difficult start to the Premier League season, during which Palace have lost three of their first four games.
There was also a notable moment for Ismaila Sarr, who came off the bench to make his first appearance of the season. A proposed move to Liverpool had collapsed late in the transfer window, and his return was met with a mixture of cheers and boos from the Palace supporters.
On this evidence, Palace can approach the rest of their Europa League campaign with genuine confidence. A place in the knockout stage now appears within their reach, although Lech’s defensive errors played a substantial part in making the evening so comfortable.
