Crystal Palace 3 Fiorentina 0
Crystal Palace celebrated one of their greatest nights at Selhurst Park after an inspired 3-0 victory over Fiorentina in the first leg of their Conference League quarter-final.
Jean-Philippe Mateta, who started for the first time since a proposed move to AC Milan fell through, led the line in place of the suspended Jorgen Strand Larsen and opened the scoring with a 24th-minute penalty.
Tyrick Mitchell made it two, turning in Mateta’s parried effort seven minutes later before Ismaila Sarr ensured Palace would travel to Tuscany with a comfortable advantage, nodding home their third on the stroke of time.
In addition to clearing the ball out of his net, David de Gea, the former Manchester United goalkeeper, also had to remove streamers after decorations from the Palace fans had delayed kick-off.
Mateta had the first real chance seven minutes in, nodding Daniel Muñoz’s delivery wide of the post, then Robin Gosens launched an effort just over for the visitors. And it remained goalless at the 20-minute mark when Evann Guessand volleyed just wide.
Palace won the breakthrough penalty moments later. Dodo was late with his challenge on Guessand and Mateta stepped up after a long VAR check to take it, stroking down the centre past a diving De Gea who had long vacated the middle.
The goal lit a fire under the Eagles, who doubled their advantage seven minutes later through a well-worked team sequence that nearly resulted in a second for Mateta, who got on the end of an acrobatic Muñoz cross. De Gea intervened, but the rebound fell to Mitchell, who buried the follow-up, and his name remained on the scoresheet after another VAR consultation.
Fiorentina’s former Manchester United goalkeeper had work to do before the second half even kicked off.
Palace fans had launched streamers into the air pre-match and held a few back for just before the restart, when De Gea got stuck in with the clean-up effort, helping stewards around his goal.
Both sides had early second-half chances. Giovanni Fabbian, in space in Palace’s 18-yard box, failed to halve the deficit, clipping the crossbar six minutes in.
The upright then denied Daichi Kamada at the other end, before Mateta nodded marginally wide with just over 10 minutes remaining.
Palace did have a third goal when a lovely Kamada cross teed up Sarr, who thanked him after planting the ball powerfully past De Gea in added time.
Match details
Crystal Palace Henderson; Canvot, Charles, Lacroix, Richards; Mitchell, Kamada (Johnson, 90), Wharton (Hughes, 90), Muñoz; Guessand (Pino, 65), Mateta (Lerma, 83), Sarr.
Substitutes Benitez, Cardines, Clyne, Devenny, Matthews, Riad, Sosa.
Booked Richards.
Fiorentina De Gea; Gosens (Balbo, 78), Ranieri, Pongracic (Comuzzo, 82), Dodo; Ndour, Fagioli (Mandragora, 90), Fabbian; Gudmundsson (Puzzoli, 90), Piccoli, Harrison (Fazzini, 78).
Substitutes Balbo, Braschi, Christensen, Deli, Kouadio, Kospo, Leonardelli.
Booked Dodo, Piccoli.
Referee D Rumsas (Lithuania).
Attendance 22,775