Crystal Palace failed to make the most of a one-man advantage when they were held to a 0-0 draw by Leeds United on Sunday (March 15th). Another frustrating showing led to boos from home supporters at Selhurst Park at full-time.
Most of the entertainment during the game came from refereeing decisions and a VAR intervention. A dismal first half ended in pulsating fashion when Dominic Calvert-Lewin missed a penalty.
Gabriel Gudmundsson was sent off for two bookable offences, prompting a controversial celebration from Jaydee Canvot. But the French defender wasn’t able to celebrate a victory with his side despite having the ball in the back of the net late on.
Jefferson Lerma thought he’d netted a winner when he found the net from close range. But VAR ruled the goal out as Brennan Johnson’s initial header, which was saved by Karl Darlow, came from an offside position.
‘Lacked that cutting edge’
Palace’s draw came just three days after another 0-0 stalemate against Cypriot minnows AEK Larnaca in the Conference League. Glasner did make changes to his team for Sunday’s game, including resting Dean Henderson, who has been ill.
Gudmonsson’s red card should have benefitted the Eagles, but another toothless display ensued. A worrying statistic is that they become the first Premier League team in history not to register a shot on target against an opponent who had a player sent off in the first half.
Former Premier League goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer spoke after the game and summed up the South Londoners’ struggle. He said on BBC Sports Extra 2:
“Crystal Palace were lacking that cutting edge in the end. Their deliveries into the box weren’t great. They didn’t create enough for a side who had a numerical advantage.”
Palace had 12 shots all game and none of them was on target, while Leeds managed to do so with three of their 10 attempts. The lack of killer instinct is a real problem ahead of a trip to Larnaca next Thursday (March 19th).
Benitez: We played a good game
Argentine goalkeeper Walter Benitez made his Premier League debut in Palace’s draw against Leeds. The 33-year-old deputised for Henderson, who will hopefully have overcome his sickness bug before the Larnaca game.
Benitez gave an interesting assessment of the game and thought the team played well. He told Crystal Palace’s media team:
“We played a good game. We tried to change a little bit in the second-half to play more, but it’s always difficult in the Premier League. You have most of the teams playing very well. Of course, we tried to score, but the point is positive today.”
Benitez joined Palace as a free agent last summer and has been Glasner’s cup competition goalkeeper. He fared well against the Peacocks, making three saves.
He added:
“[The next game] is the most important now. We’re going to prepare this week for Larnaca, and then I hope we qualify for the next round.”
Palace will face a Larnaca side that is the best defensive team in the Europa Conference League this season. They conceded just one goal in the league phase, highlighting how difficult it will be at AEK Arena.
