REPORT | ARGYLE 2 CRYSTAL PALACE 4
Argyle 2
Waine 8
Cundle 46
Crystal Palace 4
Edouard 58
Mateta 61, 62, 83
A three-goal blitz of Premier League precision ultimately cost Argyle a place in the next round of the Carabao Cup after a pulsating tie at Home Park.
For almost an hour, the Greens were superb, and fully deserved the lead given to them by an early strike from Ben Waine and Luke Cundle’s worldy at the start of the second period.
Crystal Palace were forced to freshen their troops in a bid for a response and the Eagles got one, as Odsonne Edouard pulled one back on 58 minutes and then Jean-Phillipe Mateta banged in two in the space of seconds.
Palace went from 2-0 down to 3-2 up in just five minutes, sealing the win with a hat-trick strike from Mateta in the closing stages.
Argyle manager Steven Schumacher made nine changes from the weekend trip to Birmingham and the new faces didn’t take long to gel, as a delightful team move led to the opening goal.
Tyriek Wright benefited from a string of quick passing to clip over a cross for Callum Wright to nod it back in the danger area.
Waine, who scored a brace to beat Leyton Orient in the previous round, gobbled up the chance with terrific poise.
Lewis Warrington scorched a 25-yarder narrowly over before Tyreik Wright was thwarted by an excellent challenge from Chris Richards, as the Greens continued to dominate their higher-ranked visitors.
Dan Scarr looped a header on to the roof of the net, Tyreik Wright had a shot blocked and Palace were rocking.
Edouard finally showed some quality for his lacklustre side, feeding a pass for Jesurun Rak-Sakyi but his cross eluded Mateta.
A top half ended with Tyreik Wright taking a heavy knock and another delicious team move that saw Matt Butcher cushion a clever pass for Mickel Miller to rifle a shot inches wide.
The restart could hardly have been any better for the Pilgrims, as Cundle picked up on a half clearance from Palace, shifted his feet quickly and curled a wonderful finish into the top corner.
Home Park was bouncing and Palace boss Roy Hodgson turned to his bench, introducing Jordan Ayew, Eberechi Eze and Jeffrey Schlupp, and the impact was instant.
Ayew first crossed for Edouard to force the ball home at the back post and then Mateta stunned Argyle with two swift goals, starting with Eze firing over a sweet cross from the left for the powerful forward to finish.
The Pilgrims had zero time to regroup, as Mateta struck again, forcing his way through the middle of the pitch and applying another tidy finish that gave Callum Burton no chance.
Schumacher reacted with a triple change of his own, bringing on Bali Mumba, Morgan Whittaker and Finn Azaz, but it was Waine who came closest to a leveller, fizzing in a shot that prompted the best from Palace ‘keeper Sam Johnstone.
Mumba was then denied by a last-ditch tackle and the game remained in the balance, with Ryan Hardie and Freddie Issaka also added to the array of attacking talent on display.
Unfortunately, the final decisive moment fell the way of Mateta, notching his third goal to confirm victory for his side.
Argyle: 25 Callum Burton, 5 Julio Pleguezuelo, 6 Dan Scarr, 7 Matt Butcher, 11 Callum Wright, 14 Mickel Miller (2 Bali Mumba 71), 16 Lewis Warrington (35 Freddie Issaka 80), 19 Tyreik Wright (18 Finn Azaz 71), 23 Ben Waine (9 Ryan Hardie 80), 28 Luke Cundle (10 Morgan Whittaker 70), 29 Kaine Kesler-Hayden. Substitutes: 21 Conor Hazard (gk), 3 Macauley Gillesphey, 8 Joe Edwards, 20 Adam Randell.
Booked: Butcher 79, Scarr 90
Crystal Palace: 1 Sam Johnstone, 3 Tyrick Mitchell, 5 James Tomkins (6 Marc Guehi 84), 8 Jefferson Lerma, 14 Jean-Phillipe Mateta, 17 Nathanial Clyne, 22 Onsonne Edouard, 26 Chris Richards, 29 Naouirou Ahamada (15 Jeffrey Schlupp 56), 44 Jairo Riedewald (10 Eberiche Eze 55), 49 Jesurun Rak-Sakyi (9 Jordan Ayew 55). Substitutes: 31 Remi Matthews (gk), 2 Joel Ward, 37 John-Kymani Gordon, 40 Jack Wells-Morrison, 42 Seán Grehan.
Booked: Mateta 84
Referee: Dean Whitestone
Attendance: 15,826 (1,059 away)