Crystal Palace 1-0 Grimsby: Goal Machine Jordan Ayew scores again

Premier League Crystal Palace narrowly avoided an upset at Selhurst Park, having to wait until the 86th minute to see off League Two Grimsby, who played he entire game with 10 men.

Andrew Fox’s sending off in the first minute set the tone for a one-sided affair that saw the Eagles rack up 30 chances but they were made to work hard for a place in the fourth round.

Roy Hodgson made nine changes from Wednesday’s win at Wolves and rather surprisingly Wilfried Zaha wasn’t one of them. He partnered Andros Townsend alongside a rare run out for Alexander Sorloth in a front three.

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For Grimsby of course it was a different story, just the one switch from defeat to Mansfield on New Year’s Day with Martyn Woolford coming in for Ben Pringle. Prior to that defeat they had won their previous four games and were hoping to carry that into Selhurst Park and cause an upset.

They got off to the worst possible start when Fox was sent off for a stupidly high challenge on Townsend that referee Martin Atkinson had to refer to VAR for and came to the correct decision less than two minutes into the game.

Sorloth, making only his fifth league start since arriving in January, then came close to scoring his first goal at Selhurst (and only his second overall) but his looping header was cleared off the line as Palace started to make their 10-man, and three division, advantage count.

Jeffrey Schlupp fired into the side-netting and Townsend flashed one across goal that Sorloth couldn’t reach before the Mariners had a rare chance to take a shock lead. Elliot Embleton’s excellent cross found Wes Thomas at the back-post but he couldn’t stretch enough to poke it in.

Palace went right down the other end and Sorloth had two excellent chances to open the scoring; first getting a poor connection on Schlupp’s centre and sending it wide before somehow not scoring from a yard out on the volley.

At times it was like a training match with Palace players camped in Grimsby’s half, while Townsend’s every touch was booed by the travelling fans, clearly angry at his bare faced cheek to have his knees studded a minute in.

McKeown then had to be alert to tip a Martin Kelly drive from distance no less onto the post while Palace were forced into an early change as Pape Souare left the pitch with an injured shoulder after an awkward fall. Cheikhou Kouyate replaced him and went into midfielder, with Schlupp filling in at left-back.

Palace ended the half as they started it, by doing everything but score, with Schlupp guilty of wasting a vey good chance on his weaker foot which should have hit the back of the net instead of sailing into the Whitehorse Lane end.

Sorloth’s one-man mission to score a goal at Selhurst continued after the break as he headed Joel Ward’s cross towards McKeown’s bottom corner but just past the post. Goals and chances have been in short supply for the 23-year-old Norwegian since his £8m move from Midtjylland a year ago but on today’s display he probably won’t be getting many more of either.

The shots continued to rain in on Grimsby’s goal as Kelly stung McKeown’s palms before Kouyate’s header beat the Mariner’s keeper but bounced cruelly off the post and out. Just like Palace’s Boxing Day goalless draw with Cardiff the home side reached almost 30 shots on goal but still couldn’t find a way through.

Connor Wickham and Jordan Ayew were chucked on for the final 25 minutes for Jairo Riedewald and the disappointing Sorloth as Hodgson tried everything to avoid a midweek trip to Cleethorpes. Townsend lined one up from a similar distance he buried one against Burnley three weeks prior but curled just wide.

Everyone had a go, including Scott Dann from 25 yards, but it just wouldn’t go in, while McKeown in the Grimsby goal took every opportunity to waste time as the cock ticked towards 90 minutes and a replay.

But in the 90th minute that pressure finally paid off as substitute Ayew nodded in Schlupp’s free-kick to score his second goal in two games and send Palace into the hat for the fourth round instead of Cleethorpes.