Crystal Palace 1-0 Stockport County: Eberechi Eze's early strike earns Oliver Glasner's men a place in FA Cup fourth round
Crystal Palace 1-0 Stockport County: Eberechi Eze's early strike earns Oliver Glasner's men a place in FA Cup fourth round
Share:
These sides may be separated by a considerable gulf in the Football League pyramid but this was an occasion when the scoreline, rather than the league tables, was more far reflective of the gap between the teams. The only metric in which this game was truly one-sided in favour of the Premier League side was possession. Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner will of course point to the cold, hard facts of the afternoon. Victory put his side through to the fourth round. Job done.
But his opposite number Dave Challinor, who has worked wonders in guiding County up the divisions, will be thinking of what could have been as they make the long journey back to the north west tonight. Replaying those match-defining moments over and over again in his head.
What if striker Kyle Wootton had been able to keep his header down? What if Isaac Olaofe had curled the ball just an inch or two further out, beyond the reach of Palace keeper Matt Turner, and into the far corner of the net. The reality was that Eberechi Eze’s goal clinched the tie. Daichi Kamada’s cross was only half cleared by Stockport midfielder Odin Bailey. Eze was onto the loose ball like a flash, picking his spot and curling past goalkeeper Corey Addai before any defender had even thought to put the England attacker off.
