Crystal Palace make hard work of FA Cup progress – but have the capability to go all the way in the tournament

BY EDMUND BRACK

It certainly was not a pretty evening, a cup classic or a convincing display, but Crystal Palace have booked their place in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

The Eagles’ poor performance saw them do it the hard way at Selhurst Park on Tuesday night.

While some of Stoke’s side would not have looked out of place in the Premier League five years ago – Joe Allen, James Chester and Liam Moore all experienced professionals – Palace’s starting 11 should have had enough quality to see them off in some element of comfort.

But Palace were ponderous in the first half – their top-flight quality non-existent and the four changes seeing any attacking rhythm from previous outings disrupted.

The one positive from the first half was Tayo Adaramola.

After an encouraging handful of minutes against Hartlepool in the previous round, the 18-year-old left-back has quickly earned the trust of Vieira.

Capped by the Republic of Ireland at U19 level, Adaramola was not fazed by starting – producing several bursting runs forward, floating crosses into the box and contributing to the solid defence.

While Stoke did not look particularly menacing going forward, Palace’s attacking advances were frustratingly clunky and continued to break down.

It could be argued that Jean-Philippe Mateta is their best striker in terms of his reliability to find the back of the net but his hold-up play, first touch and inability to bring others into the game hindered Palace.

He appeared suffocated by the back three of Stoke, was caught offside three times and only completed 60 per cent of his passes in the first half – the lowest of any Palace player.

Michael Olise and Wilfried Zaha struggled to get into the game. And starting Jordan Ayew against a side 16th in the Championship was another cautious choice – rather than Odsonne Edouard or Eberechi Eze – that gave Stoke a chance on the evening.

The first half petered out with little threat from either side.

Vieira has emphasised that a slice of luck was going to be needed for the Eagles to progress deep into the competition. And they got some in the 52rd minute when Mateta’s scuffed effort deflected into the path of Cheikhou Kouyate, handily stationed just in front of goal. The Eagles had the fortuitous lead.

But instead of asserting their dominance on the game, Stoke equalised five minutes later.

Will Hughes allowed Romaine Sawyers to drift down the right and cut the Palace defence open with a cross that found Josh Tymon at the back post to slot past Jack Butland.

Highlighted by the winless start to 2022 and the lack of consistency after the 2-0 win against Wolves in early November, the midfield loses composure and balance when James McArthur is absent.

It is an issue that Palace will have to resolve this summer. McArthur, 34, is in the twilight of his career and injuries certainly have a higher chance of derailing his season.

To restore order in the centre of the pitch, Vieira chose to leave Eze on the bench and bring on Conor Gallagher, Luka Milivojevic and Jeffrey Schlupp, while Jairo Riedewald slotted in at left-back.

But the game swung on the 79th minute. Jack Butland collided with Joachim Andersen when coming to collect a free-kick, allowing the loose ball to fall at the feet of Moore on the edge of the box. His chipped shot was destined to drop in the back of the net, but Andersen managed to direct the ball over the bar.

Palace found the winner in the 82nd minute when Riedewald collected the ball on the edge of the box and fired a shot through a crowd of bodies to book the Eagles’ place in the last eight.

While it was not a deserved victory that laid down the gauntlet for the rest of the top-flight elite remaining in the competition, Vieira can take solace from the fact his side progressed to the next round without playing well.

The Frenchman still has to strike a balance up front, with Edouard and Christian Benteke both deserving more game time. Vieira also has to find a way of making the side confident without McArthur.

But after progressing to the quarter-finals for the first time since 2019 under Roy Hodgson, the Eagles have shown that they have a squad capable of winning the FA Cup this season.

Vieira has a side with a quality defensive core – Marc Guehi and Andersen – and a handful of individual talents who can win games.

And as matchwinner Riedewald showed, there is depth available to come on and impact a game.

STAR MAN
Cheikhou Kouyate. He had the highest pass percentage [91] of any Palace player and scored the first goal.

BEST MOMENT
Riedewald’s celebrations. It’s been a tough period for the Dutchman, so it was nice to see everyone join in after his goal.

PICTURES: ROB AVIS