Jean-Philippe Mateta makes history, 5/10 frustrates – Crystal Palace player ratings vs Fredrikstad
Crystal Palace made history by winning a European match for the first time as they beat Fredrikstad 1-0 at home in the Conference League on Thursday.
The last (and only) time the Eagles played in Europe previously, they were thrashed 4-0 in aggregate by Turkey’s Samsunspor in the 1998 Uefa Intertoto Cup.
And it wasn’t exactly all smiles on Thursday night, with Norwegian cup winners Fredrikstad frustrating Palace at Selhurst Park, limiting Oliver Glasner‘s men to just five shots on target throughout.
But Palace were always in control of the match and finally got their big moment when Jean-Philippe Mateta diverted a Will Hughes shot into the back of the net in the 54th minute.
The win was a nice distraction following the news that Eberechi Eze is on the verge of joining Arsenal.
Palace will take a 1-0 lead to Norway in the second leg, meaning there’s plenty of work still to do.
But before then, here are the full player ratings from a historic night at Selhurst Park.
Crystal Palace make winning start to Conference League campaign
Dean Henderson – 6
Had very little to do, simply mopping up behind the Palace backline now and then and distributing the ball when needed.
Jefferson Lerma – 7
Looked solid again, deputising in the back three, while his long throw-ins caused absolute havoc for Fredrikstad.
Maxence Lacroix – 8
Continues to anchor the Palace defence brilliantly. Won a match-high seven duels here, while showing great composure on the ball.
Marc Guehi shuts out the noise
Marc Guehi – 8
Acquitting himself superbly despite all the noise around his Crystal Palace future, and that was the case once again here. Guehi won seven of his eight duels on the night, with a 100% record on the ground.
Daniel Munoz – 7
Does Daniel Munoz have any other setting other than full? He just never stops! It wasn’t the Colombian’s most productive night in attack — though he did hit the post late on — but he snuffed out all traces of Fredrikstad’s attack down his side.
Adam Wharton – 7
Was heavily involved in Palace’s possession progression throughout the night. Didn’t find his mark all the time, but that’s because he took a lot more risks than usual, perhaps in a bid to replace Eze’s attacking thrust?
Will Hughes – 8
Provided a bizarre assist for Mateta’s goal with his volley from the edge of the box, but he deserved that luck with a busy performance in the middle. Created three chances and made five passes into the final third.
Borna Sosa – 6
Came on late in the Community Shield and missed a penalty, then was an unused sub against Chelsea. Given a good runout here and was solid, if unspectacular — though it was his throw-in that eventually led to the goal.
Ismaila Sarr – 5
Frustrating at times, running into heavy Fredrikstad traffic when a pass would have been the better option. But to take away Sarr’s maverick nature would be to take away what makes him such an exciting player.
Justin Devenny – 7
Took up Eze’s vacant spot behind Mateta and looked a real threat at times, though he drifted out of the game after the break.
Mateta makes history
Jean-Philippe Mateta – 9
Conference League boom! It’s absolutely mental that Mateta completed just one more pass (4) than he attempted shots (3) here, but the Frenchman doesn’t need to be overly involved to make his presence felt. He’s the man for the big moment at Crystal Palace and a brilliant character for nights like this.
Odsonne Edouard (on for Devenny, 69′) – 5
Given a chance to work alongside Mateta as he tries to battle back into the Palace side, but to little success, bar one dangerous effort near the end that was blocked for a corner.