Any Crystal Palace supporters looking for good omens will know that beating Millwall is a good place to start.
Oliver Glasner’s side saw off their south London rivals on their way to winning the FA Cup last season and it required heroics from goalkeeper Walter Benítez in a penalty shootout to overcome Alex Neil’s Championship battlers this time around after a late equaliser from Ryan Leonard cancelled out the opener from Chris Richards.
But while Palace stretched their unbeaten run to 16 matches in all competitions, this was another night to forget for Romain Esse as he was substituted at half-time following a very public display of dissatisfaction from his manager.
Glasner handed debuts to Benítez and teenage defender Jaydee Canvot, while Esse was given an opportunity against the club he joined from in January for £12m. Jean-Philippe Mateta only lasted eight minutes during Palace’s 3-1 win here in March after being kicked in the head by Millwall’s on-loan goalkeeper Liam Roberts – a challenge that Palace’s chair, Steve Parish, described as the most reckless he had ever seen. There had been a heavy police presence around the ground before kick-off and the travelling supporters who packed out the away section wasted no time making their presence felt. “Twenty-five stitches, it should have been more,” they sang.
Jean-Philippe Mateta, pictured battling Caleb Taylor for the ball, was taunted by Millwall fans over the 25 stitches he needed after the sides last met. Photograph: Adam Davy/PA
Neil admitted that his side’s first-half performance in another south London derby against Charlton on Saturday had been “crap” before they earned a draw. An injury to goalkeeper Max Crocombe in the warm-up forced him to turn to Steven Benda and the Fulham loanee proved he was up to the task on his debut with a string of saves before half-time. The best denied Yéremy Pino inside the opening 60 seconds, with the Spaniard also spurning two more chances that fell his way.
But it was Millwall who should have led at the break when Palace gave the ball away cheaply in their own half. Somehow Camiel Neghli could not hit the target. The lively Mihailo Ivanovic did manage to test Benítez with a header that was clawed away to safety. Glasner’s frustration was summed up when he took off his jacket and hurled it into the dugout after Esse wasted another attacking opportunity.
Quick Guide
Carabao Cup roundup: Grimsby and Brentford march on
Show
Grimsby progressed to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup for the first time in 24 years thanks to a 1-0 win over a youthful Sheffield Wednesday side at Hillsborough.
The two clubs pulled off the biggest shocks in round two, with the League Two Mariners upsetting Manchester United on penalties after Wednesday’s youngsters embarrassed Yorkshire rivals Leeds in similar circumstances.
Jaze Kabia headed the 49th-minute winner on Tuesday as Grimsby deservedly overcame an inexperienced Owls team featuring eight academy players in the starting XI. Around 6,000 travelling fans celebrated the success in South Yorkshire, with the home support heavily outnumbered due to a planned boycott as part of ongoing protests against the under-fire owner Dejphon Chansiri.
Brentford’s keeper Hákon Valdimarsson atoned for a costly error by becoming the shootout hero as his side defeated Aston Villa 4-2 on penalties.
The Iceland international, who provides back-up for Caoimhín Kelleher in the top flight, kept out spot-kicks from John McGinn and Matty Cash before Bees substitute Mikkel Damsgaard converted the winning penalty.
Aaron Hickey’s stunning 57th-minute equaliser earned Brentford a 1-1 draw at the Gtech Community Stadium after Harvey Elliott capitalised on a mistake from Valdimarsson to score Villa’s first goal of the season on his full debut.
Thank you for your feedback.
It was therefore no surprise to see the England Under-21 international replaced by the new signing Christantus Uche for the second half. Palace immediately looked more of a threat with the Nigeria forward on the pitch, although Millwall’s defence continued to stand firm. Their confidence seemed to grow as Palace found themselves under pressure at the other end, with the towering substitute Josh Coburn making a real mess of a volley from close range when it seemed easier to score.
skip past newsletter promotion
Sign up to Football Daily
Kick off your evenings with the Guardian’s take on the world of football
Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
after newsletter promotion
Mateta almost caught out Benda when he rushed out of his goal but saw his shot cleared off the line. From the resulting corner, Richards was on hand to stab home from close range after Millwall failed to clear. That seemed to have won it but Leonard had other ideas when he headed in from a corner, with Mateta missing an open goal with almost the last kick of stoppage time when his balance betrayed him at the crucial moment.
That left Benítez to take centre stage as he saved Millwall captain Tristan Crama’s opening penalty before denying Aidomo Emakhu to send Palace into the next round.