Summary:
- Hodgson makes seven changes, including a first start of the season for Rak-Sakyi.
- Waine puts Plymouth ahead just five minutes in, smashing home from close-range.
- Plymouth strike the woodwork as they attempt to double their lead.
- Miller goes close just before half-time, with Plymouth four-on-three
- HT: Plymouth 1-0 Palace
- The hosts make it two straight from the restart through Cundle’s wonderful curling effort.
- Palace hit back through Edouard, after excellent work from Eze and Ayew.
- Mateta equalises from close-range.
- The Frenchman adds a second just seconds later to complete the comeback.
- Mateta completes his hattrick to send Palace into the third round.
- FT: Plymouth 2-4 Palace
Palace’s task was made more difficult by Plymouth’s start, and the hosts’ first attack led to the opening goal. It came from a delicious ball in by Tyreik Wright, nodded back goalwards by Callum Wright and smashed home from close range by Ben Waine. Work for Palace to do.
The response was almost instantaneous as the Eagles had the ball in the back of the net thanks to a fine finish from Jesurun Rak-Sakyi – rifled into the top corner with real aplomb – but the offside flag cut short any celebrations.
Rak-Sakyi was certainly proving difficult for the men in green to handle and he came close to creating the equaliser on the half-hour mark, showing signature quick feet to jink around the defender and prod goalwards; Jean-Philippe Mateta was sliding in but was agonisingly short of making contact at the far-post.
Plymouth should have been further ahead at the break, with Mickel Miller slicing wide when he could have sent a teammate through – but they didn’t rue their profligacy for long. Just seconds after the restart, Luke Cundle found space on the edge of the box and picked out the top cor
Game over? Not a bit of it. Hodgson rolled the dice with a triple change, introducing Jeff Schlupp, Ebere Eze and Jordan Ayew.
Then, chaos broke loose. First Edouard nudged Palace back into contention, stabbing home from Ayew’s driven cross – much like on the opening day at Bramall Lane – after some excellent work from Eze.
Then, Eze was the provider, finding Mateta to finish from close-range to draw Palace level just three minutes later.
Were they done there? Not at all. Straight from kick-off, Schlupp found Mateta to smash home his second and Palace’s third, and send the away end into raptures. The three substitutes had each got an assist, and the game had been turned on its head.
With Plymouth still threatening – Johnstone was called into a fine save from Waine’s long-range effort – Palace had to put the game beyond doubt.
They did so soon after. Of course it was Jean-Philippe Mateta, smashing home from the angle to complete his hattrick. Of course it was Ebere Eze to find him, earning his second assist in the process.
This Palace team does not know when it’s beaten. Now, the third round draw awaits.
Palace: Johnstone (GK), Clyne, Tomkins (Guéhi, 84), Richards, Mitchell, Riedewald (Eze, 56), Lerma, Ahamada (Schlupp, 56), Rak-Sakyi (Ayew, 56), Mateta, Edouard.
Subs: Matthews (GK), Ward, Grehan, Wells-Morrison, Gordon.
Plymouth: Burton (GK), Pleguezuelo, Scar, Butcher, C. Wright, Miller (Mumba, 71), Warrington (Issaka, 80), T. Wright (Azaz, 71), Waine (Hardie, 80), Cundle (Whittaker, 71), Kesler-Hayden.
Subs: Hazard (GK), Gillesphey, Edwards, Randell.