Crystal Palace booked their place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with an emphatic 3-0 victory over Middlesbrough at Selhurst Park, as Jørgen Strand Larsen opened his account for the season with two powerful headers before substitute Daichi Kamada completed the scoring with an exquisite finish.
The final score suggested a straightforward evening for Pierre Sage’s side, although the contest itself was rather more complicated than the three-goal margin indicated. Middlesbrough enjoyed long periods on the ball, particularly during the opening half, and repeatedly worked their way into promising positions without finding the ruthless final touch required to trouble their Premier League opponents.
Palace, by contrast, demonstrated exactly the quality Middlesbrough lacked. They were not always dominant and they did not need to control possession for extended periods, but when opportunities arrived they attacked decisively and made them count.
That difference in both penalty areas ultimately determined the tie.
It was also another significant result for Sage, who has quickly begun to build momentum following his arrival at Selhurst Park. After Palace secured a dramatic 3-2 Premier League victory away at Fulham at the weekend, this represented a second successive victory and provided further evidence that the Eagles are beginning to develop a more dangerous attacking edge.
Both managers made eight changes following their respective weekend league victories, turning the third-round tie into an important examination of squad depth.
Sage gave several players an opportunity to make an impression, with Walter Benítez starting in goal and a reshaped Palace side including Óscar Mingueza, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Axel Disasi, Honest Ahanor and Ben Chilwell. Will Hughes captained the team, while Quinten Timber and Darío Osorio were also given starts alongside Yéremy Pino and Strand Larsen.
Middlesbrough head coach Kim Hellberg also rotated heavily after Saturday’s Championship victory over Queens Park Rangers. One of the most notable decisions was to leave prolific striker Will Lankshear on the bench, despite his outstanding start to the campaign, with Tommy Conway and David Strelec among those given the responsibility of troubling the Palace defence.
For considerable periods, the visitors justified Hellberg’s confidence in his rotated line-up.
Middlesbrough began positively and were prepared to take possession in Palace territory rather than retreat into the defensive shape often associated with a Championship club visiting Premier League opposition.
Amario Cozier-Duberry was particularly lively on the right. The winger offered direct running and was willing to cut inside whenever space became available, while Aidan Morris helped Middlesbrough establish themselves in midfield.
Cozier-Duberry registered one of the first efforts of the evening after six minutes, forcing Benítez into a save from outside the penalty area.
It established the pattern of the early stages. Middlesbrough were not intimidated by their surroundings and Palace initially struggled to establish sustained control.
The Eagles nevertheless carried considerably more danger whenever they moved quickly through the visitors.
Their first major opening arrived after 15 minutes. Strand Larsen helped create the opportunity and Pino found space inside the penalty area, but Middlesbrough goalkeeper Sol Brynn stood firm and prevented the Spaniard from opening the scoring.
Almost immediately, Boro threatened at the opposite end.
Myles Peart-Harris carried possession forward before Strelec received the ball inside the Palace area. The striker managed to turn and shoot but dragged his attempt wide, another example of the opportunities the visitors were able to manufacture without providing the required finish.
Callum Brittain then tested Benítez from an angle before later sending a free-kick wide from a potentially dangerous position.
Palace were being made to work.
Middlesbrough were enjoying a significant share of possession and frequently occupied the home side’s half, yet the quality of the Eagles when moving from defence into attack always offered a warning.
Mingueza was becoming increasingly influential down the right. His delivery caused problems before the breakthrough and Pino again forced Brynn into action following another attack from that side.
At the opposite end, Cozier-Duberry went close in the 35th minute after cutting inside and attempting to bend the ball towards the far corner. His shot drifted narrowly wide.
Two minutes later, Middlesbrough discovered just how costly those missed opportunities could be.
Palace recovered possession and quickly transferred the ball across the pitch. Hughes helped move the attack towards Mingueza on the right and the summer arrival was afforded enough space to measure his delivery.
His cross was excellent.
Strand Larsen positioned himself beyond the Middlesbrough defence and attacked the ball aggressively, meeting it from close range and directing his header beyond Brynn.
Palace led 1-0 after 37 minutes.
It was a classic centre-forward’s goal and exactly the type of contribution Sage will hope to receive regularly from the Norwegian. There was no unnecessary complication to the finish: intelligent movement, strength to gain the position and a decisive header.
For Middlesbrough, it was particularly frustrating because the visitors had spent much of the opening period playing on relatively even terms with their Premier League opponents.
Possession and territorial advantage, however, mean little without goals.
Boro attempted to respond immediately and continued to push players forward, but Palace protected their advantage and reached the interval with their lead intact.
Hellberg reacted at half-time by replacing Sam Byram with Neto Borges as Middlesbrough searched for a route back into the contest.
The visitors started the second period with purpose and caused problems from a series of attacking situations. A scramble inside the Palace penalty area provided another opportunity, but Strelec could not make the decisive connection.
Once again, Middlesbrough had found themselves close to goal without finding the finish.
Once again, Palace responded by demonstrating how it should be done.
In the 53rd minute, the Eagles produced another incisive move, this time working the opening on the opposite flank.
Ben Chilwell received possession on the left and delivered a beautifully weighted cross towards Strand Larsen.
The striker attacked it with conviction.
Rising above the Middlesbrough defence, he powered his header beyond Brynn and into the corner to make it 2-0.
It was his second goal of the evening and remarkably similar in principle to the first, although this time the service had arrived from the left rather than the right.
For Sage, that variety will have been particularly encouraging. Palace had demonstrated an ability to stretch their opponents across the width of the pitch and provide their centre-forward with service from both sides.
For Strand Larsen personally, the brace could prove important.
Strikers often talk about confidence arriving with goals and his performance was about considerably more than simply getting his name on the scoresheet. His physical presence occupied Middlesbrough’s central defenders, his movement created space for teammates and, later, he demonstrated that he could also create opportunities rather than merely finish them.
Middlesbrough refused to surrender.
Aidan Morris tested Benítez with a low effort after the second goal, while Conway also had a shot blocked as Hellberg’s team attempted to find the goal that might have transformed the closing stages.
Sage responded with changes of his own.
Adam Wharton replaced Timber and Kamada came on for Osorio in the 59th minute, adding greater control and experience to the Palace midfield.
Middlesbrough continued to push forward, but the spaces they were leaving behind were becoming increasingly inviting.
Hellberg eventually turned to Lankshear, introducing the Championship’s prolific forward alongside Leo Castledine in the 67th minute as Strelec and Conway departed.
By that stage Boro needed something dramatic.
Instead, five minutes later, Palace ended the contest.
The third goal was arguably the best of the evening and Strand Larsen was involved again.
The Norwegian received possession around halfway and turned before spotting Kamada racing into the huge space behind the Middlesbrough defence. His pass released the Japanese midfielder through the middle with Brynn advancing from his goal.
Kamada did not panic.
Rather than attempting to beat the goalkeeper with power, he produced a beautifully judged finish, lifting the ball delicately over Brynn and into the net.
It was a superb piece of technique and made the score 3-0 in the 72nd minute.
Selhurst Park could relax.
Strand Larsen’s evening ended almost immediately afterwards, with Zavier Gozo replacing the two-goal striker. Dwight McNeil came on for Pino and Jefferson Lerma replaced Disasi as Sage used the comfortable advantage to distribute minutes across his squad.
The scoreline might have suggested Middlesbrough had been overwhelmed, but Hellberg’s players continued to attack.
Cozier-Duberry forced another save from Benítez in the 77th minute and Peart-Harris sent an effort narrowly wide as Boro searched for the consolation goal their overall contribution arguably deserved.
There was another opportunity late on when a dangerous delivery travelled across the Palace penalty area towards Lankshear, but the substitute was unable to make the contact required.
It summed up Middlesbrough’s evening.
They had reached promising positions, enjoyed plenty of the ball and registered enough attacking moments to make the match competitive, yet whenever the decisive moment arrived their execution deserted them.
Even during the closing minutes, Boro kept searching. Rokas Pukštas saw an effort blocked before heading another opportunity narrowly over, while Luke Ayling fired high from distance during stoppage time.
There would be no consolation.
Benítez and the Palace defence preserved the clean sheet and the final whistle confirmed a 3-0 victory that was far more about efficiency than overwhelming domination.
For Sage, there were several significant positives.
The most obvious was Strand Larsen.
Two goals and an assist represented an excellent evening for the striker and offered Palace a reminder of the threat provided by a genuine aerial presence. Both goals were the result of intelligent positioning and aggressive attacking movement rather than defensive accidents.
Mingueza also produced an encouraging performance on his first start. His delivery for the opening goal was outstanding and his willingness to advance from the right repeatedly provided Palace with an attacking outlet.
Chilwell continued his productive few days by supplying the second goal after scoring the winner against Fulham at the weekend, while Kamada made an immediate impact from the bench.
There were also valuable minutes for several players attempting to establish themselves in Sage’s plans, including Ahanor, Osorio, Timber and Disasi.
Perhaps most importantly, Palace demonstrated an ability to win a game in a different way.
They did not require overwhelming possession. Instead, they were compact enough to withstand Middlesbrough’s periods of pressure and sufficiently decisive to exploit the spaces that appeared when the Championship side committed players forward.
That counter-attacking quality was particularly evident in the third goal.
Sage had spoken before the game about the need to freshen his team without completely destroying its organisation, and his decision to make eight changes ultimately produced exactly the outcome he wanted. There were understandably some disjointed passages, especially during the first half when a largely unfamiliar side was attempting to establish combinations, but Palace became increasingly assured as the evening progressed.
The manager will also be encouraged by another three goals from open play. Creating and converting more opportunities in normal attacking situations has been an area Sage has wanted to improve, and six goals across victories over Fulham and Middlesbrough represent a notable step in that direction.
His assessment of the evening is therefore likely to centre on the balance between the imperfect performance and the highly satisfactory result: Palace were not dominant throughout, but they were organised, clinical and capable of producing quality at decisive moments. For a side still adapting to a new manager and integrating numerous players, there was plenty to build upon.
Hellberg’s perspective is inevitably more complicated.
There was enough in Middlesbrough’s performance to provide encouragement, particularly in the way his team approached the game. Boro did not spend the evening defending their penalty area and hoping to survive. They attempted to impose themselves, enjoyed substantial spells of possession and continued attacking even after falling two and eventually three goals behind.
The frustration for the Middlesbrough head coach will be obvious: his team did much of the difficult work required to compete with Premier League opposition but failed in the most important area.
They did not score.
Leaving Lankshear on the bench was understandable given the demands of Middlesbrough’s schedule and the importance of their Championship campaign, but his absence from the starting line-up inevitably removed one of the most clinical elements of the team.
By the time he was introduced, Palace were already two goals ahead.
Hellberg can nevertheless point towards the performances of players given opportunities through rotation, including Cozier-Duberry, who was one of Boro’s most persistent attacking threats. There were periods when the visitors moved the ball confidently and successfully forced Palace backwards.
The lesson will be that good approach play has to be rewarded.
At this level, opportunities disappear quickly and mistakes are punished.
Palace demonstrated that perfectly.
Three goals came from three moments of outstanding attacking execution: a Mingueza cross converted by Strand Larsen, a Chilwell delivery emphatically headed home by the same striker and a rapid counter finished with Kamada’s delightful chip.
Middlesbrough had chances of their own but none produced the same quality.
That is why the scoreboard eventually displayed such a convincing margin.
For Palace, progression into the fourth round maintains a promising recent record in the competition after reaching the quarter-finals in each of the previous two seasons. More immediately, it extends the positive momentum generated by the weekend victory at Fulham.
Two victories in quick succession can alter the mood around a club, particularly under a new manager.
Sage now has evidence that he can rotate significantly without sacrificing results, while several players who needed minutes have received them and made genuine contributions.
Strand Larsen leaves Selhurst Park with two goals, an assist and potentially a considerable injection of confidence.
Mingueza has demonstrated the quality of his delivery. Chilwell has continued his productive start. Kamada has provided one of the standout moments of the evening. Benítez has a clean sheet.
For Middlesbrough, the cup journey ends after victories over Wrexham and Doncaster in the earlier rounds, but the wider priorities of their season remain unchanged. Hellberg’s team have begun their Championship campaign strongly and their performance in south London was considerably more competitive than the scoreline alone might suggest.
The difference was ruthlessness.
Middlesbrough had possession.
They had territory.
They had opportunities.
Palace had the goals.
And on a cup night, nothing else matters quite as much.
At full-time the scoreboard read Crystal Palace 3, Middlesbrough 0, sending Sage and his players safely into the Carabao Cup fourth round and providing further encouragement that Palace are beginning to find both their confidence and their cutting edge under their new manager.
