Crystal Palace

Adam Oxley
BBC Radio Sheffield

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Loan winger Jesurun Rak-Sakyi has more than played his part in an excellent season so far for Sheffield United.

The 22-year-old has spent the majority of his time on the right of an attacking midfield three in a 4-2-3-1 formation, which Blades boss Chris Wilder introduced last summer when Rak-Sakyi arrived from Crystal Palace.

His pace and trickery has been exciting to watch out wide but it's been in and around the penalty area that he's made his eight goal contributions.

Rak-Sakyi's six goals have all been scored inside the box, showing a mixture of quick feet, good movement, good awareness, composure and a ruthlessness when faced with a one-on-one situation.

His two assists both set up Tyrese Campbell, with the two summer signings developing a good relationship alongside Callum O'Hare and Gus Hamer.

Rak-Sakyi still has work to do to establish himself as a consistent, 90-minute player. There have been halves of football where he's been ineffective, but these have been few and far between. Excellent team displays against Middlesbrough and Leeds United recently have seen Rak-Sakyi really stand out.

The winger has only completed one full game in the Championship, and he missed six matches over Christmas and into the New Year with a muscle injury.

Rak-Sakyi has started 19 league matches, usually playing 60-70 minutes, and his eight sub appearances have often been as an impact player at the same point in a game, as Chris Wilder rotates his attacking options.

Alex Howell
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Eddie Nketiah has an opportunity to get his stuttering Crystal Palace career going while Jean-Philippe Mateta is out injured.

The 25-year-old has found it difficult in his first season in south London, taking time to adapt to Oliver Glasner's 3-4-3 formation.

The form of Mateta has also made it tough for Nketiah to get a consistent run of games in his favoured central striking role.

However, Nketiah scored his first Premier League goal in the 4-1 win over Aston Villa and then followed it up with an excellent headed goal against Millwall.

Scoring in consecutive games for the the first time this season could be just the boost Nketiah needs as Palace enter an exciting part of the season, chasing a top-half finish and with an FA Cup quarter-final coming up.

The former Arsenal striker is likely to play against Fulham with Mateta recovering after having 25 stitches to a cut around his ear after the challenge by Millwall keeper Liam Roberts.

Glasner spoke highly of Nketiah after the match and with Ipswich next up at Selhurst Park, the forward has a chance to continue the momentum he is starting to build.

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Over the past 14 Premier League matchdays, only Liverpool (33) and Arsenal (29) have earned more points than Crystal Palace (27) - but only eight of those points have come at Selhurst Park.

The Eagles have never lost a Premier League game against Ipswich (W4 D1), winning the past four. Their most recent top-flight home match against them was a 3-0 victory in November 1994.

Southampton and England defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis, 23, wants to remain a Premier League player next season amid interest from Crystal Palace and West Ham. (Football Insider), external

Crystal Palace could join Liverpool and Aston Villa in the race for Wolfsburg's Greece centre-back Konstantinos Koulierakis, 21. (Caught Offside), external

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Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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The sickening injury to Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta in the FA Cup game against Millwall was a hard watch. Fortunately he will be OK we hear, which is great news, but I also felt a little sympathy with the goalkeeper Liam Roberts.

Yes, he had to see red and he was clearly out of control and reckless, but I am convinced that it was in no way deliberate.

Charging out of his goal, panicked and leading with his left foot he never once looked at Mateta, only the ball. Mateta similarly only had eyes for the ball and that's when the worst injuries happen because you don't brace for the impact at the last moment.

Goalkeepers are being asked to do what they aren't great at, to come out of their areas to become players, rank amateurs against top professionals. I also wonder how reactions might have been different if Roberts had pulled out of making a challenge and Mateta had put the ball into an empty net, would everyone have been praising his safety-first approach or questioning his commitment?

Gone are the days when keepers were allowed to and indeed encouraged to "clean out everyone and everything" in front of them, ball, attackers or defenders, in the knowledge they would be over protected by the officials. I felt the physical pain of those "over enthusiastic" challenges myself over the years and it didn't feel fair then.

My sympathy comes from the fact that goalkeepers have to be incredibly brave and, more often, come off second best. Forwards usually lead with their boots in 50/50 challenges while the keepers are usually low with their hands and often their heads in the danger areas. Strikers are still encouraged to go in with full force on these occasions by their managers and many pundits, even when the keeper's head is in the danger zone.

So for every Schumacher v Battiston clash (here it is on YouTube, kids, external), or Roberts v Mateta, there are just as many serious fouls on the stoppers.

Chelsea's Petr Cech was horrifically injured against Reading and had to wear protective headgear for the rest of his career due to skull damage, he could have been killed. Many years ago in the FA Cup final, German keeper Bert Trautmann had his neck broken, and amazingly played on! There was a wonderful goalkeeper for Glasgow Celtic, Johnny Thompson, who tragically lost his life after a challenge with Rangers centre-forward Sam English. And there have been many more tragedies and near tragedies.

So yes, the Millwall goalkeeper had to be sent off but, because it wasn't deliberate, I cannot be angry with him however ever ugly it looked.

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Alex Pewter
Fan writer

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On a weekend where progressing in the FA Cup should have drawn an unblemished positive response, Saturday's victory over Millwall was marred by the injury inflicted on Jean-Phillipe Mateta.

There is a significant risk factor that comes with any head or neck injury, and even the 25 stitches that Mateta received in the hospital could be viewed as a fortunate outcome given the dangers of that particular high boot.

It is easy to understand the events that followed - the clearly emotional but justified response by chairman Steve Parish when interviewed at half-time. Also, the muted performance from the home team headed into the second half after getting updates on their talismanic forward.

Under those circumstances, it was the Frenchman's replacement that rose to the occasion. Eddie Nketiah, who ended the contest with his headed goal in the second half, earned man-of-the-match honours from the fans.

There is no fixed time scale on Mateta's return beyond knowing he will miss the Premier League game on Saturday. This thrusts the ex-Arsenal forward Nketiah into a very unfamiliar situation during his time at Palace by being the attack's focal point.

It was evident against Millwall that the team, used to the physical size and presence of Mateta, struggled to adapt without the option of playing direct. In planning for Ipswich at the weekend, they must find a different route to suit the next man up in attack.

Despite the sizeable financial investment in his recruitment, Nketiah has been in limbo within Oliver Glasner's team, a different profile to Mateta and without the comfort to play in attacking midfield.

Following back-to-back goals, and clearly with the support of his fellow players in the celebrations for both, it is up to Nketiah to kickstart his season in its closing stages.

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Real Madrid scouts have checked on Adam Wharton since the midfielder's return to first-team action at Crystal Palace. (Mail), external

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Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Millwall goalkeeper could face further punishment for his horror challenge on Jean-Philippe Mateta.

Crystal Palace striker Mateta was taken to hospital after being kicked in the head by Roberts in the eighth minute of Palace's 3-1 FA Cup fifth-round win on Saturday.

Roberts was sent off after a VAR review, with the footage showing he kicked the side of Mateta's head, having dashed from his line to clear the ball. Play was initially allowed to carry on by referee Michael Oliver.

The 27-year-old forward was treated on the pitch and given oxygen before being taken to an ambulance. He needed 25 stitches for a severe laceration to his left ear.

The Football Association could now look into the challenge if it deems the red card - with Roberts now suspended for three games - to be insufficient punishment.

If the FA thinks a dismissal offence is "truly exceptional", it can seek to increase the sanction by submitting a claim to a regulatory commission.

They have until 13:00 GMT on Tuesday to do this and submit evidence to the Lions, with the Championship side then having a further two days - until 18:00 on Thursday - to respond and provide any evidence supporting their case the red card was "clearly sufficient".

The regulatory commission would then hear the case and decide Roberts' new punishment if any FA claim is successful.

Mateta posted on social media on Saturday: "I'm doing well. I hope to be back very soon and stronger than ever. Well done guys for the great job today."

We asked for your views on Crystal Palace's performance in the FA Cup win over Millwall.

Here are some of your comments:

Kevin: I thought we made hard work of beating Millwall after they went down to 10 men, but we rarely looked like losing it. I hope JP isn't too seriously injured and he will be back after the international break. I doubt he will be risked for the Ipswich game, even if he has a speedy recovery. Managing the squad for the coming games will be a key consideration.

Trevor: In the next round, but only after a pretty inept display. We were two goals up against 10 men and there seemed to be a complete lack of urgency. Against better opposition the result could easily have been different.

Steve: We did amazingly well given the incident that took JP out and the impact on the squad of seeing a player being stretchered straight into an ambulance from the pitch. We were cruising at 2-0 and took our eye off the game - that gave Millwall some hope for a period in the middle of the game. It is good we have a long break in March for JP to recover without it affecting us too much.

Theo: Great play! I hope Mateta is OK because it was a reckless challenge from Liam Roberts. However, it was a great opportunity for Eddie Nketiah and he certainly took it! A great game all round.

Gary: I'm pleased we got through, but it is difficult to be overjoyed given the situation with JP. The Millwall goalkeeper should be banned for six games after his reckless challenge. I hope JP will be OK, I couldn't really concentrate on the match after that.

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Crystal Palace defender Ben Chilwell says it was "great to be back" on the football pitch after being handed his first start in over a year by Oliver Glasner, after moving to Selhurst Park on loan from Chelsea in search of more minutes.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live after the Eagles sealed their spot in the FA Cup quarter-finals, Chilwell said: "A few of the boys asked me how long it had been after the game and I think it's been roughly a year, so it was great to be out there. I felt fit and I felt good.

"You train hard in training but there is nothing like a match, so you always wonder how you're going to feel. I felt great the whole game and it was good to get a full 90 minutes.

"I've gone into Chelsea for the past six months and trained hard every day, waiting for the opportunity but not knowing if it was going to come. This was the day that it came and I just had to make sure I was ready."

The England international has already played in two FA Cup finals with Chelsea and he revealed his loan club have set their sights on reaching Wembley this season.

"It's definitely something that is spoken about in the changing room," Chilwell said. "We aren't going to hide from the fact that we want to win the cup. It's every game at a time but there are definitely talks that we want to go far in it.

"I've played two FA Cup finals and had two losses, so hopefully it could be third time lucky. I've been pleasantly surprised how ambitious this squad is in the Premier League and in the FA Cup."

The draw for the FA Cup quarter-finals has been made. Here are the four ties in the order they were drawn.

Games will be played over the final weekend of March.

• Fulham v Crystal Palace

• Preston v Aston Villa

• Bournemouth v Manchester City

• Brighton v Nottingham Forest/Ipswich

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Crystal Palace goalscorer Eddie Nketiah has also been speaking to BBC Sport about the result: "I'm gutted for JP [Jean-Philippe Mateta]. He is a big character and I wish him a speedy recovery. I'm happy we got the win for him, and we go into the next round."

On getting minutes in his tank: "This is unfortunately football sometimes. I want to play minutes, I work hard every day to do that, and I got the opportunity today - but not in the best circumstance.

"I felt good. I knew it was going to be a tough game. I had to stay patient and, when the moment came, I had to be ready to take it.

"I pride myself on working hard every day. I'm ready and hopefully more opportunities will come. I just want to be out there and to help the team."

On whether Crystal Palace can win the FA Cup: "I've been able to experience that with Arsenal, so it would be nice to do it with Palace. We are one step closer and, if we do well in next round, we will be at Wembley."

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Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner has provided an update on Jean-Philippe Mateta to BBC Sport: "He is conscious and he is in hospital. His ear looks terrible. It's a very serious injury so we hope all the best for him. We are not really happy. We can't be really happy. Of course it's a great win and we are into the quarter-finals, but when you lose a player, especially with a foul like this, you have two different feelings in your stomach."

"Honestly, I didn't want to see it. I just watched it and it's terrible. I'm sure the goalkeeper didn't want to injure JP in this situation, no player wants this. But if you get to the ball with this intensity, with the foot at this height, you cannot do that. It's so dangerous and we all have responsibilities for our health.

"I don't want to blame him, but it is a terrible foul. I didn't see it in the game, it was so quick. I could see the goalkeeper had a lot of intensity, but he touched the ball first. I have seen it now in slow motion, and it is worse."

On his players' reaction after the incident: "The players did well until the 55th minute in the first half. We controlled the game, the lead was 2-0, we unnecessarily gave them the ball before half-time and then all of a sudden it was 2-1.

"They got their belief back. The second half wasn't the best half, we didn't create a lot of chances but Eddie [Nketiah] decided the game. It was an amazing header.

"It is tough to talk about game because I have this clip [of the challenge on Mateta] in my mind.

"We are going to quarter-finals in the FA Cup, a great achievement. Fingers crossed and hoping all the best for JP."

On Eddie Nketiah's performance: "He needs to get back into the rhythm. You need this rhythm in competitive games to keep going, stay in the game and wait as a striker. They played a deep block so he had to wait and then he decided the game for us."

On whether Crystal Palace can win the FA Cup: "It is about winning the quarter-final. The draw is tomorrow, let's see what team we will face.

"At the moment, we are just waiting good news for JP. Hopefully he is back then."

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Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi has been speaking to BBC Sport about Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts' challenge on Jean-Philippe Mateta: "It was a little worrying actually. We wish him a speedy recovery. We hope he is doing well and can rejoin the team as quickly as possible."

On Eddie Nketiah's performance: "I expect that from him. He is a team player, he is never moaning or complaining. We are very proud of him. He is a top player."

What did you make of Crystal Palace's display? Let us know here

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Crystal Palace have now reached the FA Cup quarter-finals in three of the last seven seasons (also 2018-19 and 2021-22), as many times as in the previous 36 campaigns.

Eddie Nketiah has scored in consecutive matches in all competitions for Crystal Palace for the first time. He last scored in consecutive matches whilst playing for Arsenal, with a run of three games between November and December 2022.

Were you at Selhurst Park or following the game from elsewhere?

Tell us your thoughts on Palace's performance here

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

Four matches make up Saturday's FA Cup action and BBC Sport will bring you every kick.

• Crystal Palace v Millwall (12:15) - BBC Radio 5 Live

• Preston v Burnley (12:15)

• Bournemouth v Wolves (15:00) - BBC Radio 5 Live

• Manchester City v Plymouth Argyle (17:45) - BBC Radio 5 Live

All kick-off times GMT

Follow all of the action and reaction here

Will in-form Crystal Palace go for it in the FA Cup? I really hope so.

Oliver Glasner's side have improved as the season has gone on and they are comfortably in mid-table of the Premier League without any danger of going down. A cup run would really cap this as a successful campaign for him.

It would have an even bigger impact for Palace's fans. I still remember Ian Wright's goals in the 1990 final where they lost to Manchester United in a replay. They lost to United in the 2016 final too, and it would be great to give them a new memory.

This won't be easy, because former Norwich boss Alex Neil took charge of Millwall at the end of last year and is doing a good job.

They have been quite stubborn in recent weeks and I'm expecting more of the same here, but the Eagles should edge it in normal time.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

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