Our MU21s went down 3-2 in their Premier League 2 opener against a strong Crystal Palace side at Selhurst Park on Monday.
Palace included seven players with first-team experience and striker Jean-Phillippe Mateta, who has scored against us in the Premier League, struck twice in the first half to help establish their 3-1 half-time lead.
Evan Ferguson had earlier equalised Mateta’s opener and Albion were much better in the second half. Andy Moran’s close-range goal made it 3-2 in the 72nd minute and in a barnstorming finish Odel Offiah hit the post as we just failed to find the equaliser our performance deserved.
We lined up with Cam Peupion and James Furlong operating as wing backs in front of three central defenders, who included Matt Clarke.
With so many attacking players on the pitch an end-to-end first half came as no surprise. The only shock was that there were only four goals given the glut of chances at both ends.
Julio Enciso forced the first save after a one-two with Jack Spong before Mateta guided his shot wide of an open goal from 15 yards. Moran then stood up a back-post cross which Furlong met with a volley that was blocked by a defender. And that was all in the opening seven minutes.
Mateta steered home a cross from the right by Jesurun Rak Sakyi to give Palace an eighth-minute lead but Albion levelled five minutes later when a cleverly worked corner routine ended with Ferguson blasting a shot past Owen Goodman, with the aid of a deflection.
Enciso forced a good save from Goodman before James Beadle stretched his lengthy frame to brilliantly divert Jairo Riedewald's effort away from the bottom corner – a top save considering he saw the ball late. Albion came again and Ferguson’s scissors kick forced Goodman to make an athletic tip-over.
Palace then took charge with two goals in two minutes. On 38 they worked an overload on the right and the unmarked Malcolm Ebiowei hit a low shot into the bottom corner from 15 yards.
In their next attack Palace won the ball back in midfield and Mateta’s shot took a deflection and found the bottom left-hand corner.
Albion switched to four at the back at the break and both Spong and Ferguson went close to scoring in the early stages of the second half but their shots were both a yard off target.
Coach Andrew Crofts brought on Jack Hinchy and Odel Offiah and Albion threatened again through the hardworking Ferguson, when Goodman saved his left-foot shot with an outstretched boot. The keeper then did superbly to block Offiah’s pass, which would have given Andy Moran a tap-in, after a powerful burst to the line by our substitute.
Moments later, though, Moran did have his goal. Cam Peupion was the architect with a burst past Jack Wells Morrison and pull-back for Moran, who found the roof of the net from close range.
Albion pushed for an equaliser. First Moran forced a great save out of Goodman from a powerful header and then when Albion pressed to win the ball back Enciso guided a right-foot shot wide of the goal with the keeper out of position.
We went even closer when Hinchy and Offiah combined and Offiah’s shot crashed off the upright to James Furlong whose follow-up forced Goodman to fling himself across goal and tip the ball over. Albion continued to press but Palace dug deep to claim the three points.
Albion line-up: Beadle, Tsoungui (Offiah 68), Clarke, Turns, Peupion (Miller 88), Kozlowski (Hinchy 65), Spong, Enciso, Furlong, Moran (Tolaj 88), Ferguson. Unused sub: Cahill.