Crystal Palace missed a glorious opportunity to pick up all three points against Luton Town in the Premier League on Saturday.
The Eagles were leading by a solitary goal until the 96th minute, but a stoppage-time finish from Cauley Woodrow resulted in a frustrating 1-1 draw at Selhurst Park.
Jean-Philippe Mateta gave Palace an early lead inside 11 minutes when he scored a “phenomenal” goal with a cheeky flick.
The home side created loads of chances, and Mateta could have easily scored one or two goals had he been more clinical.
Eberechi Eze was outstanding during the game and the attacking midfielder also could have scored a couple of goals. He made one brilliant run into the box, but couldn’t find the net, and looked threatening every time he moved rapidly in and around Luton’s penalty area.
The 25-year-old made an audacious attempt to score from 50 yards out but it just clipped the top of the bar. It would have been arguably one of the goals of the season had that gone in, and Paul Merson was left stunned with the effort.
“Ah just unbelievable. Eze sets the ball, he gets into their rough, and he just glides with the ball, he goes part one and then looks up, and drives over the keeper. Hits the top of the net. It’s amazing, amazing,” said Merson on Soccer Saturday.
Eberechi Eze shows his class for Crystal Palace
Oliver Glasner was so close to picking up his second win for Palace and he would be very disappointed by how his side conceded late in the game.
Palace have dropped 18 points from winning positions this season, more than any other side in the Premier League, and that is something Glasner should look to rectify in the future.
It has been suggested that Eze doesn’t fit into Glasner’s high-intensity system, but the Palace boss would be thrilled to say what the midfielder did today.
Eze has proved his class with his mazy runs, clever passing, and long-range efforts. It was not just his audacity to try to score from 50-60 yards out, but the technique to go with it was equally amazing. He is a top-quality player and Palace should do everything to keep him at the club.
