Crystal Palace Under-21s made it 10 games unbeaten in 2024, after a resounding 4-2 win against Aston Villa at the VBS Community Stadium. A hat-trick from Luke Plange along with a well-taken goal from Trialist saw the side secure all three points.
SUMMARY
Seven changes to the side which beat Stoke, with Vonnte Williams making his first start
Plange heads Palace ahead with the first attack of the game
Trialist quickly doubles the lead in the seventh minute
Katsukunya fires narrowly wide after a Villa corner half an hour in
Villa enjoy more of the ball and threaten, but can’t test Whitworth
Plange adds a third in first-half stoppage time
Whitworth pulls off a fine stop to deny Bogarde in the 83rd minutes
A week on from the 3-1 win against Stoke City in the bet365 Stadium, Crystal Palace Under-21s returned to south London as they hosted Aston Villa at the VBS Community Stadium.
There were seven changes to the side, among them Vonnte Williams – who was making his first start of the season, after recovering from an injury that kept him out all season.
Palace got off to the best possible start, taking the lead five minutes into the game. Returning striker Luke Plange got on the end of a delightful ball from Roshaun Mathurin to head the side into a 1-0 lead with ease.
Within a blink of an eye, Palace were two goals to the good as Trialist doubled the lead two minutes later. Jake Grante played a searching ball down the right which Trialist latched onto, he raced towards the byline and skipped past two challenges before slotting it past Lander Emery.
The visitors had it all to do after the Eagles’ quick-fire lead and though they enjoyed more of the ball they couldn’t really test Joe Whitworth in the Palace goal. Thierry Katsukunya fired wide after the ball fell to him from a corner, while centre-backs Jake Grante and Chris Francis got strong blocks in.
Victor Akinwale and Plange had further efforts to add to Palace’s advantage as the half wore on. The former fired over the bar after being played in by Trialist, while the latter managed to get his second and the third on the night just before the break.
A searching ball over the top from Whitworth was not dealt with by the Villa defence, and Plange pounced on the loose ball to rifle it in from the edge of the box.
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Villa found a route back into the game shortly after the start of the second-half as substitute Rory Wilson managed to claw one back.
This was ultimately in vain, as Plange netted his hat-trick 62 minutes in. Grante again played a defence-splitting through ball pass down the right for Plange to get on the end of, he drove into the box before picking out the top corner on his left foot.
The south Londoners almost netted a fifth with 15 minutes to go, after a well-worked short corner between Jack Wells-Morrison and Mathurin almost found Craig Farquhar at the back post, but there was just too much on the delivery.
The Villains pulled another goal back with 10 minutes to go, as Omari Kellyman picked out the top corner with a free-kick 20-yards from goal on his left foot.
There was almost a possibility of a grandstand finish, when Lamare Bogarde found himself through on goal just moments after the free-kick, but Whitworth stood tall to pull off a fine stop.
Palace saw out the remainder of the game, with Mathurin almost being in for a fifth late on, to move up to 11th place in the Premier League 2. They are three clear of Manchester United and one behind the likes of Reading and Middlesbrough.
Palace: Whitworth (GK), Grante, Francis, Farquhar, Trialist, Wells-Morrison, Reid, V. Williams (Cardines, HT), Mathurin, Plange, Akinwale (Nascimento, 72).
Subs not used: Izquierdo (GK), Adams-Collman, Dashi.
Villa: Emery (GK), Rowe, Patterson, Katsukunya, Bogarde, Borland (Munroe, HT), Afoka (Lutz, 67), Alcock, Moore, Kellyman, Pierre (W
ilson, HT).Subs not used: Wright (GK), Barnes.
