2 hours ago
2
If last month's defeat by AEK Larnaca was a lesson for Crystal Palace, this was a statement to the rest of Europe, reminding everyone why they are among the favourites to win this season's Conference League.
Despite Jean-Philippe Mateta's first penalty miss, a thunderous strike from Maxence Lacroix put his side ahead before Ismaila Sarr added a second on the brink of half-time.
Oliver Glasner's side saw their lead halved when Sven Mijnans's strike deflected in via Daniel Munoz, but Sarr almost immediately eased the nerves with a calm finish.
The result, which saw Palace rack up an xG of 3.81, leaves Palace in ninth in the Conference League standings.
Daily Mail Sport's WILL PICKWORTH was at Selhurst Park and he has picked out some key talking points from the clash.
Crystal Palace put in a dominant performance to beat AZ Alkmaar 3-1 at Selhurst Park
Oliver Glasner's side returned to winning ways in the Conference League and rise to ninth
Palace’s new No 10s shaping up nicely
It was never going to be easy for Palace to replace Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze in successive summers after the pair lit up Selhurst Park for many years.
But in Yeremy Pino and Ismaila Sarr, the club's acclaimed recruitment team have done one hell of a job.
Sarr has scored 20 goals and added 10 assists in little over a season since joining for £12.6million from Marseille, and he terrorised Alkmaar's defence here.
His direct running suits Glasner's style to a tee and in the first half alone he hit the post, won a penalty, and scored.
Sarr's second goal oozed composure and came at a perfect time. He was even given a well-deserved rest for the final 25 minutes.
'We know when Sarr has space he is really good,' Glasner said post-match. 'He made such great runs, and they were great finishes.'
Pino, meanwhile, has shown signs of his quality in spurts as he continues to adapt to English football, but his past three performances have been his best.
It was his skill and deft pass that led to Palace's penalty, which Jean-Philippe Mateta missed, and aged 23 and as a 17-cap Spain international, Palace have a talent on their hands.
Yeremey Pino and Ismaila Sarr are developing a promising partnership as Palace's No 10s
Who is the Eagles' underrated star?
In among all the praise that Marc Guehi rightfully gets, the work of his fellow Palace defenders goes under the radar.
Daniel Munoz, Tyrick Mitchell, Chris Richards, and Maxence Lacroix are criminally underrated, but the latter in particular is so calm and comfortable in everything he does.
The Frenchman dealt effortlessly with the in-form Troy Parrott - who has scored 13 goals in 13 games in all competitions this season - and when his team-mates were missing ample chances, Lacroix showed them how it was done with a thumping finish - before he assisted Sarr's first goal for good measure.
Lacroix has played every minute of Palace's 18 games this season and his consistency is incredible.
'One of our strengths is to keep the opposition out of box,' Glasner reflected. 'It worked very well for most of the game. Maxence Lacroix did a great job dealing with the long balls. He's so strong physically and he helped us.'
Maxence Lacroix was superb yet again and he put Palace ahead with a thumping strike
Glasner’s midfield 'gamble' pays off
Jefferson Lerma and Will Hughes struggled to unlock AEK Larnaca last month on a frustrating night for Palace when they succumbed to a 1-0 defeat despite having 68 per cent of possession.
On that occasion, the Eagles' play was turgid, and the performance exposed their struggles against teams who play with a low block.
It is no secret Daichi Kamada and Adam Wharton, who were on the bench here, are Palace's two most progressive passers.
So Glasner's decision to start Hughes and Lerma again could have backfired, but the pair won the midfield battle against a team that included Kees Smit, hailed as the next Frenkie De Jong in the Netherlands, as Palace sent out a statement to the rest of Europe.
