Yohan Cabaye and Fraizer Campbell claimed a late
goal apiece as Crystal Palace progressed to the semi-finals of the FA
Cup with a deserved 2-0 win at Championship Reading.
Cabaye scored a late penalty to give Palace the lead after a
foul on Yannick Bolasie led to Reading’s Jake Cooper being sent off,
and – with victory already effectively secured – substitute Campbell
scored a second to give Alan Pardew’s Wembley-bound team further cause
for celebration.
Palace’s struggles in the Premier League, in which they last
won on December 19, may be ongoing, but they have successfully
negotiated a difficult passage to the national stadium and will be
serious contenders for the final, regardless of their opposition.
At the club where he began his managerial career, Pardew
unsurprisingly recalled fit-again goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey, having
played Alex McCarthy in his absence in the 2-1 defeat to Liverpool and
watched him make the costly error which led to the Reds’ equalising
goal.
Jason Puncheon had also returned from injury and was among the
substitutes, but even without him Pardew’s starting XI featured four
potential match-winners in Emmanuel Adebayor, Cabaye, Wilfried Zaha and
Bolasie at a time when injury restricted Reading’s Matej Vydra to the
bench.
It was in the final third, however, that Palace were frustrated throughout much of the first half.
One of the few times a position of promise evolved into one of threat
came when captain Mile Jedinak played Adebayor through on goal in the
35th minute, but the striker hesitated to shoot on his left foot and by
the time he had shaped up onto his right, Reading goalkeeper Ali Al
Habsi had read him and routinely saved his effort.
Reading’s response was almost immediate. On the right wing Chris
Gunter delivered a delightful cross which found Ola John at the back
post, from where the winger controlled possession before seeing his shot
deflected into the side netting.
Perhaps partly owing to their poor league form, Pardew has been
criticised by some Palace fans for not selecting the popular Julian
Speroni.
That Hennessey, under little pressure, soon spilled a high ball to
John would not have helped, and was only not worsened by him again
striking just wide.
Palace did, however, start the second half in the ascendency when
after 54 minutes Al Habsi made a reaction save from a powerful header
from Jedinak, which was shortly followed by Scott Dann seeing an effort
cleared off the line.
Yet, while Palace were applying further pressure, there was always
the threat that Reading would counter and score on the break, as they
almost did when Stephen Quinn tested Hennessey.
It was just when a replay was looking likely that the chance Palace
needed presented itself. They had lost to Liverpool in the sixth minute
of second-half stoppage time six days earlier when Christian Benteke was
controversially awarded the penalty from which he scored when Pardew
believed he had dived.
On this occasion there were few complaints when Bolasie was pulled
back in the area by Cooper and the defender was sent off after being
awarded his second yellow card.
With a place in the semi-finals at stake, Cabaye calmly sent his
penalty down the centre of the goal, which Al Habsi could only get a
hand to, sending Palace into the competition’s final four.
Campbell’s goal came in the fourth minute of stoppage time when,
one-on-one with Al Habsi, the goalkeeper could only parry his shot to
him to set the striker up for a tap-in from close range.
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