The hosts dominated possession in the first half and finally broke through when Lacroix nodded home from Adam Wharton’s free-kick in the 36th minute. The contest still had not found a steady rhythm with 10 minutes remaining in the first half when Guessand was fouled twice in quick succession. Palace finally broke the deadlock from the second set piece. Palace were hoping to avoid a repeat of the reverse fixture, where they had broken the deadlock in the second half, then conceded an equaliser. Sarr, through on goal and with plenty of time to pick his spot, then somehow failed to find the back of the net with five minutes remaining, instead drawing another Karacic save.

Source: Express February 26, 2026 22:03 UTC