Crystal Palace Under-21s secured a landmark result on Tuesday evening, defeating Newport County 2-1 at Rodney Parade to reach the EFL Trophy knockout stages for the first time in Academy history.
The Young Eagles made a fast start and took the lead after 10 minutes. Amaari Sealey’s inswinging corner caused confusion in the Newport penalty area, and Jasper Judd reacted quickest to turn the ball into the far corner. Palace also survived a major scare before the interval when George King produced an acrobatic clearance to divert Dan Sassi’s header onto the crossbar.
Palace created further opportunities before half-time, with Zavier Gozo forcing a save from a free-kick and Jake Turner also denying Judd after a promising move involving Seb Williams and Sealey. Newport threatened at times, but Darren Powell’s side retained their advantage at the break.
The hosts increased the pressure after the restart and equalised three minutes into the second half. Gwengwe’s delivery created uncertainty in the Palace box, allowing James Crole to find the net despite not making a clean connection. Harry Lee then kept the visitors level with an excellent double-save, first stopping a powerful Brennan effort before recovering to deny Gwengwe from the rebound.
With the match approaching its final stages, Palace found the decisive goal. Joe Gibbard’s pass released David Angibeaud, who took an excellent first touch inside the area before calmly rolling the ball beyond the advancing goalkeeper and into the bottom-left corner.
Newport pushed hard for another equaliser, but Lee made another important stop in stoppage time as Palace defended their lead through seven additional minutes. The victory confirmed the Young Eagles’ place in the Round of 32, with those ties scheduled for the week commencing Monday, 7 December. Palace had entered the final group fixture after beating Swindon Town 2-1 and losing to Plymouth Argyle.
