Crystal Palace successfully navigated a tricky FA Cup tie against Doncaster Rovers to set up a tantalising fifth-round clash with Millwall.
On a wet and wild evening in south Yorkshire against a Doncaster side pushing for automatic promotion from League Two, this had all the hallmarks of a sticky evening’s work for Palace. However, goals either side of half-time courtesy of Daniel Muñoz and Justin Devenny were enough to see off Grant McCann’s men, who gave Palace plenty of problems on the night.
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Doncaster exit the cup with their heads held high but the quality of Palace in crucial moments was decisive. With Adam Wharton excelling on his first start in several months and Ben Chilwell making his debut for the visitors, this was a good result for Oliver Glasner, whose side now host their south London neighbours in the next round.
The hosts had opportunities to worry a side almost 60 places above them in the pyramid, but those that came their way were ultimately spurned. That meant that when Devenny doubled Palace’s advantage after Muñoz finished a clever free-kick routine, there was little doubt about which side would progress.
Palace handed a first start to Wharton since October, with the England international now recovered from groin surgery. Wharton was one of four changes to the side which had defeated Manchester United eight days earlier but, in the early moments, they struggled to break down their opponents, who showed their resilience.
The first real chance came the way of Doncaster but Ethan Ennis’s shot was straight at Matt Turner after some neat buildup play from Billy Sharp. As the half wore on, Palace began to settle into a rhythm and, between the boxes, they were in complete control, with Wharton in particular excelling.
But without the pace of Eberechi Eze and Ismaïla Sarr, there was precious little support for Jean-Philippe Mateta up top, meaning the hosts were not much tested in terms of clear-cut opportunities. However, a free-kick on the half-hour mark provided a breakthrough as Palace finally made their possession count.
Daichi Kamada’s clever pass caught the Doncaster defence cold and, while Mateta’s shot hit the post, Muñoz reacted quickest to tap the ball into the empty net. Doncaster had defended well to that point, but there could be little argument Palace merited their lead.
As half-time approached, the home side responded well. They showed little sign of falling apart after going behind and came close to finding a leveller two minutes before the interval as a superb long-range effort from Luke Molyneux narrowly whistled past Turner’s post. Muñoz may have given Palace the advantage, but Doncaster were by no means out of the tie by the break.
Palace introduced Chilwell at half-time for his first minutes of any kind since September and he helped the visitors get on the front foot immediately after the restart. They could, and perhaps should, have doubled their lead as Mateta’s cross was narrowly missed by Devenny before Mateta himself was blocked by Joseph Olowu when through on goal.
At the other end, Molyneux had two bristling efforts that were blocked by Palace defenders. Just when it looked as though the hosts were starting to build some momentum, the visitors struck a decisive blow on the counter as Will Hughes’ inch-perfect through ball found Devenny, who scooped the ball over Teddy Sharman-Lowe to double Palace’s lead.
Preston v Burnley
Aston Villa v Cardiff City
Crystal Palace v Millwall
Manchester United v Fulham
Newcastle United v Brighton
Bournemouth v Wolves
Manchester City v Plymouth Argyle
Exeter or Nottingham Forest v Ipswich
Ties to be played between 28 Feb – 3 March
That strike was the cue for Glasner to ring the changes from the bench. Wharton’s impressive return was brought to a conclusion while Devenny was also substituted to a standing ovation from Palace’s travelling support, who had unfurled a pre-match banner making it abundantly clear to the FA how they felt about this tie being played on a Monday evening.
Despite Palace being two goals to the good, there was no danger of the game petering out, much to Doncaster’s credit. Molyneux had another dangerous effort that went just over Turner’s crossbar before a scramble in the penalty area allowed Owen Bailey to force a save from the USA international to deny a grandstand finale.
The hosts, and the accompanying full house, had certainly played their part in a compelling Cup tie. But, by the end, there was little doubt this was the right outcome, with Palace safely through to the fifth round.
