Crawley Town end pre-season with a 3-0 defeat against Premier League side Crystal Palace

Crawley Town wrapped up their pre-season schedule with a challenging test against Premier League opposition, falling to a 3–0 defeat against FA Cup holders Crystal Palace at the Broadfield Stadium.

Photo by CTFC via X

The match got off to a nightmare start for the Reds, as Palace struck within the opening minute. Jean-Philippe Mateta latched onto a loose ball and calmly slotted home to give the visitors an early lead.

Crawley struggled to settle in the opening stages, with Palace dominating possession and displaying their top-tier quality. Eberechi Eze and Ismaïla Sarr both threatened throughout, while Harvey Davies was called into action multiple times to keep the score down.

On 31 minutes, Palace doubled their advantage. A swift counter-attack saw Daichi Kamada play in Mateta, who squared for Eze to finish smartly into the bottom corner.

Despite going two down, Crawley began to grow into the game. Reece Brown tested Dean Henderson with a well-struck effort, and Harry Forster looked lively in attack. However, clear chances remained hard to come by.

Scott Lindsey made several changes in the second half as Crawley looked to manage minutes across the squad ahead of their League Two opener. The Reds started the half brightly, pressing higher and creating a few half-chances, but Palace's class continued to show.

The third  goal came in the 71st minute. Tyrick Mitchell's low cross from the left was not dealt with, and Daniel Muñoz pounced at the back post to fire into the top corner.

Crawley almost grabbed a late consolation through a trialist who broke in behind, but he was denied by a recovering challenge from Palace's Mofe Jemide.

While the scoreline favoured the visitors, the game provided valuable lessons and fitness ahead of Crawley's League Two season opener next weekend against Grimsby Town.