Crystal Palace defeated Crawley Town 6-3 on Saturday, here the Eagles’ player ratings for the game.
It was a lightning-quick start for Crystal Palace on a sunny day in Crawley with Odsonne Edouard scoring within 90 seconds.
Jesurun Rak-Sakyi then added his first of the afternoon making it 2-0 inside three minutes.
Next, it was Daichi Kamada’s turn as he bagged a first goal for the Eagles making it 3-0. The first-half scoring was then concluded by Rak-Sakyi with his second goal.
Crawley Town pulled one back in the second half thanks to a Hepburn-Murphy thunderbolt from outside the box. Hepburn-Murphy then made it 4-2, before Jordan Ayew restablished Palace’s commanding lead at 5-2.
Crawley however soon scored about and pulled it back to 5-3, but there was a final twist in the game as Jeffrey Schlupp scored Palace’s sixth and final goal.
Here’s the player ratings from the game.
Crystal Palace player ratings vs Crawley
In the rout, the Eagles had numerous standout performers but here are how we’ve rated each of the player’s performances.
Sam Johnstone – 5
Sam Johnstone had as easy a first half as he will ever get, but it wasn’t to last as he conceded three in the second half, albeit there was little he could do about all three.
Nathaniel Clyne – 6
Another solid outing from Nathaniel Clyne however there was little to shout home about.
Chris Richards – 7
His first pre-season appearance since returning from Copa America and he made an instant impact, assisting Kamada’s goal. He was largely untroubled at the back.
Joachim Andersen – 7
Like his centre-half partners, Joachim Andersen did really well with what he had to deal with. The backline didn’t give Crawley a sniff of goal apart from shots from range, which the home side took advantage of to make it 4-1.
Chadi Riad – 8
The young Moroccan defender Chadi Riad looks an exceptional signing already, albeit against EFL opposition. He was dominant in defence and alongside Andersen and Richards looks to have already formed a strong back-three. In the absence of this trio, Palace’s defence capitulated.
Tyrick Mitchell – 6
A quiet game from Tyrick Mitchell in which he was by no means bad, but rather wasn’t hugely involved.
Cheick Doucoure – 8
Back in action, Cheick Doucoure continued his return to form with an impressive showing in midfield which left Crawley answerless. The potential injury issue will be a concern.
Will Hughes – 7
Will Hughes put in a solid display in midfield for the entire match, showing why the Eagles have kept him for another season. He also assisted Schlupp’s goal.
Jesurun Rak-Sakyi – 9
The star of the game, Rak-Sakyi did excellently to score his brace in the first half, with the second being the pick of the goals. Man of the match against Crawley, he’s been a man on a mission this pre-season.
Daichi Kamada – 8
The Japanese international bagged his first goal for the club, while also being a creative threat to the Crawley defence. Excellent performance from Kamada, showcased exactly why Glasner would have wanted him.
- READ MORE: Who is Daichi Kamada? Get to know the new Crystal Palace star reuniting with Oliver Glasner
Odsonne Edouard – 7
On the scoresheet along with Kamada and Rak-Sakyi but Edouard’s finishing let him down as he really should have had a hat trick.
Joel Ward – 5
On the field during the defensive capitulation, will be disappointed that he let Crawley back into the game. The difference between the first half back three and the second was night and day.
Naouirou Ahamada – 6
Naouirou Ahamada did well replacing Doucoure at half-time but struggled to dominate the midfield as well as the Malian star did.
Franco Umeh – 7
Being used as a right wing-back, Franco Umeh was a threat every time he got the ball with some dangerous crosses being placed into the Crawley box.
Jordan Ayew – 7
Ayew scored in the second half, but an open goal miss will have left him disappointed.
Rob Holding – 5
Like with Ward, he was at fault for Crawley coming back into the game and dominating large periods of the second half, not a great outing from Rob Holding.
Jeffrey Schlupp – 7
For Schlupp, the goal will have been the highlight, a well-taken finish which was the ninth goal of the game.
