Eddie Nketiah responds to Romain Esse’s Millwall message after bust-up
Crystal Palace winger Romain Esse has sent a message to his teammate Eddie Nketiah after beating his former team Millwall.
The young winger was brought off the bench in the 66th minute, replacing Ismaila Sarr after a poor match from the Senegalese winger, beating his former team 3-1.
Just eight minutes into the tie, Jean-Philippe Mateta received a kick to the head from Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts.
Roberts was sent off by Michael Oliver after a VAR intervention, and Mateta was subjected to vitriolic chants from the Millwall fans.
Following a break in play for the French striker to receive treatment, Palace would find an opener, thanks to an own goal from Japhet Tanganga.
The Eagles doubled their lead, through a clinical finish from Colombian wing-back, Daniel Munoz, in the 40th minute.
On the stroke of half-time, Millwall halved the Eagles’ lead, thanks to a deflected shot from Wes Harding finding the back of the net.
Mateta’s replacement, Nketiah, secured a victory for the Premier League outfit in the 81st minute, heading home following a flick-on from Chris Richards.
Eddie Nketiah ‘on fire’ for Crystal Palace in place of Jean-Philippe Mateta
Following the match, Esse posted a series of images of himself in action against Millwall, captioned: “Nice to see familiar faces today against a club with a special place in my heart and great to see you supporters again! We will keep going into the next round. Eddie Nketiah on fire”
The former Arsenal striker has struggled to get going since his summer switch to Selhurst Park, but after a goal off the bench against Aston Villa on Tuesday evening (25 February), the striker doubled his tally for his new club against Millwall.
| 2024/25 Premier League stats | Nketiah |
| Appearances | 19 |
| Starts | 6 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Minutes | 631 |
Esse has been used sparingly since his January switch from Millwall, scoring in his only Premier League appearance this season in a 2-1 loss against Brentford.
Nketiah responded to the message from Esse on social media by saying: “My boy!” with a love heart, whilst ex-Millwall man Zian Flemming also liked the post.
Eddie Nketiah set to become starter for Crystal Palace
Football Insider Verdict
With Mateta likely to be spending a spell on the side-lines, Nketiah has become the de facto number one choice for Oliver Glasner up front.
The former Arsenal man’s slow start to life with Palace can be attributed to the brilliant form the French striker has been in, since last season.
Despite the unfortunate circumstances, Nketiah will likely be keen to make the most of the opportunity to establish himself as a starting Premier League striker.