Goals from Daniel Munoz and Eddie Nketiah fired Crystal Palace into the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 3-1 victory over 10-man Millwall at Selhurst Park which was overshadowed by an injury to Jean-Philippe Mateta.
The game was just eight minutes old when Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts was sent off for his reckless challenge on Palace striker Mateta, who was carried off on a stretcher and taken to hospital.
Japhet Tanganga’s own goal opened the scoring for the hosts in the 33rd minute and Munoz added another for the Eagles seven minutes later.
Wes Harding clawed one back for the visitors deep in first-half stoppage time before Nketiah – who came on for Mateta – extended Palace’s lead nine minutes from time.
The contest got off to an unsettling start when Roberts came out to play the ball, his foot outstretched, and caught the approaching Palace striker Mateta in the head.
There was a lengthy pause to treat the France international, who was then carried off the pitch on a stretcher and replaced by Nketiah, while a VAR check resulted in Roberts’ sending off.
Palace chairman Steve Parish later confirmed to the BBC the striker had been taken to hospital with a “bad gash behind his ear and a head injury” and described the foul “as the most reckless challenge on a football pitch” he had ever seen.
Nketiah looked determined to avenge his team-mate and had the ball in the back of the net soon after, ruled out for handball in the build-up, while Palace keeper Matt Turner was given a bit of work to do when Josh Coburn’s touch trickled towards him.
There was another good Nketiah effort, saved by replacement Millwall keeper Lukas Jensen, who then stuck out a leg to deny Chelsea loanee Ben Chilwell, making his first Palace start.
It was not long before the Eagles took the lead through the unfortunate Tanganga, who nodded Will Hughes’ cross into his own net.
Munoz made it two seven minutes later on what was becoming an afternoon Tanganga would remember for all the wrong reasons after taking the deflection that allowed the Colombian to pounce from the edge of the six-yard box.
Oliver conferred with his fellow officials and allowed the goal, which stood after VAR ruled out offside.
Harding pulled one back just as it looked as if Palace – who have kept more clean sheets than all but four sides in the Premier League this season – were going to carry the two-goal advantage into the break.
His shot took a deflection off Chilwell before evading Turner in the 13th minute of added time.
The visitors started the second half strongly and remained determined deep into the period, when 66th-minute substitute Mihailo Ivanovic directed a free header into the arms of Turner four minutes after coming on.
Palace boss Oliver Glasner had also made a few changes including swapping Ismaila Sarr for January signing Romain Esse, who came on to face his former club.
Nketiah then provided Palace their cushion from Eberechi Eze’s nodded-on free kick, looping a header past Jensen in the 81st minute.
