In an eventful FA Cup fifth-round tie, Crystal Palace emerged victorious over Millwall with a 3-1 win, despite the early drama of the visiting goalkeeper’s red card. The match took a controversial turn when Liam Roberts, Millwall’s goalkeeper, was sent off for kicking Crystal Palace’s forward Jean-Philippe Mateta in the face. The reckless challenge occurred early in the game, necessitating Mateta’s removal from the field via stretcher due to a head injury. Crystal Palace chairman labeled the incident as “the most reckless challenge” he had witnessed on a football field. Roberts’ dismissal came just eight minutes into the game, leaving Millwall with a significant disadvantage.
Crystal Palace managed to capitalize on their advantage with a 2-0 lead thanks to an unfortunate own goal by Japhet Tanganga and a straightforward finish by Daniel Munoz. However, Millwall did not give up easily, clawing back into contention just before halftime through Wes Harding’s goal. His effort came in the 14th minute of injury time—a period extended due to the earlier incident involving Mateta.
Substitute striker Eddie Nketiah, who replaced Mateta, sealed the victory for Crystal Palace with a well-placed looping header in the 81st minute. In another FA Cup encounter, Preston secured their place in the quarterfinals by defeating Burnley 3-0. This match was a follow-up from a recent prior meeting between the two in the English second division where tensions had flared due to accusations of racial abuse. As the match initiated, Burnley’s players notably refrained from engaging in the customary pre-match handshake with Preston’s Milutin Osmajic due to the previous incident.
On the pitch, Osmajic let his actions do the talking by scoring the second goal for Preston just before halftime and sending a clear message to the opposing fans. Robbie Brady had initially opened the scoring for Preston with a remarkable free kick in the 31st minute, and the victory was capped by Will Keane’s goal in the 74th minute. Meanwhile, Bournemouth was set to face fellow Premier League team Wolves later in the day, and Manchester City was to host Championship club Plymouth Argyle in an awaited clash.
