This update on 2 October 2026 confirms where things stand. Crystal Palace beat Middlesbrough 3-0 in the Carabao Cup third round at Selhurst Park, and the win still stands as the result that sent Pierre Sage’s side into the fourth round. The crystal palace vs middlesbrough tie was settled by a Jørgen Strand Larsen double and a late Daichi Kamada goal.
Palace have since turned their attention to league games. But the cup win still matters as proof of squad depth. Several fringe players pushed their case for more minutes that night, and three of them made their first full appearance for the club.
Strand Larsen heads Palace ahead at Selhurst Park
Jørgen Strand Larsen put Palace ahead with a header. He converted a cross from full debutant Óscar Mingueza. He then added a second goal in the same way, heading home a Ben Chilwell cross. Both headers beat Middlesbrough goalkeeper Sol Brynn at his near post.
The brace built on Strand Larsen’s growing reputation in the air. Two headed goals in one night, against Championship opposition, gave Palace control of the tie before half time.
Full debuts and squad rotation under Pierre Sage
Sage made eight changes to the team that had won at Fulham days earlier. He used the cup tie to rest key players and test others. Óscar Mingueza, Honest Ahanor and Dario Osorio all made their full debuts for the club.
Mingueza repaid that trust with the assist for Strand Larsen’s opening goal. Supporters can see the wider squad list among the Palace first-team squad members to see where these young players fit into Sage’s plans this season.
Crystal Palace vs Middlesbrough: Key match summary and goal scorers
Crystal Palace beat Middlesbrough 3-0 at Selhurst Park. Jørgen Strand Larsen scored twice with headers. Daichi Kamada added a third goal with a chip from outside the area after coming off the bench.
Middlesbrough, managed by Kim Hellberg, also made eight changes to their starting line-up. Will Lankshear, the Championship’s joint-top scorer, stayed on the bench and only came on in the second half. By then the tie had already slipped away from the visitors.
Carabao Cup fourth-round projection
The win confirmed Palace’s place in the Carabao Cup fourth round. No opponent or date has been verified for that stage at the time of this update. Supporters should treat any talk of a specific fixture as unconfirmed until the draw is made.
Sage will likely weigh cup rotation against Premier League demands again when that tie arrives, much as he did against Middlesbrough. In the meantime, Palace’s league focus has already moved on, as shown in our preview and team news for a recent fixture. For the full detail of the Middlesbrough win itself, the original match report remains available.
