Walter Benitez has been Palace's second-choice keeper in the league so far
At a glance
Summer signing Walter Benitez saves two penalties on his Palace debut
Millwall had forced a shootout with Ryan Leonard's injury-time header
Palace had earlier taken lead through Chris Richards
Crystal Palace debutant Walter Benitez saved two penalties in the shootout as the Eagles beat south London rivals Millwall in the Carabao Cup third round.
Championship side Millwall had forced penalties thanks to a dramatic Ryan Leonard header from Jack Howland's corner in the first minute of added time.
Palace had taken the lead in the 72nd minute when Chris Richards turned home a loose ball from close range following a corner routine.
And Benitez did Jean-Philippe Mateta a big favour by helping the Premier League side win the shootout 4-2.
The French striker missed a sitter deep into injury time when he screwed a shot wide from eight yards out.
Argentine Benitez saved from Tristan Crama and Aidomo Emakhu, while Palace scored all four of their spot-kicks.
The success extended Palace's unbeaten run to 16 games in all competitions, a streak going back to mid-April.
They will not find out their fourth-round opponents for another eight days, though, because this round of the competition is spread across two weeks.
Analysis: Strong Palace team get job done
Crystal Palace, perhaps inspired by the buzz of winning the FA Cup last season for their first ever trophy, put out a strong line-up with only four changes from the side that drew against Sunderland on Saturday.
Two players were handed debuts from the start - Benitez, 32, a summer signing from PSV, and teenage French defender Jaydee Canvot, a new recruit from Toulouse.
Millwall in contrast made seven changes from their side at Charlton - and it would have been eight had keeper Max Crocombe not been injured in the warm-up.
Both sides had their share of chances in an even first half, with the best falling to Millwall's Camiel Neghli who fired wide when in space inside the box.
Palace were the better team after the restart and thought they were going through thanks to a close-range effort from defender Richards, who had replaced Marc Guehi just after the hour mark.
But Leonard's late glancing header meant penalties. Well, only after Mateta somehow missed when Daniel Munoz laid a wonderful opportunity on a plate for him.
In the end, though, it was all largely irrelevant as Benitez, who has been watching Dean Henderson from the bench this season, made an instant impact as he crucially saved the two kicks that settled the outcome.
What's next for these teams?
Crystal Palace: The Eagles have another London derby next, visiting West Ham on Saturday (15:00 BST).
Millwall: The Lions host Watford in the Championship next Monday at 20:00.
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