Crystal Palace

Alex Pewter
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

As always, no style points are handed out in the FA Cup. No extra credit is awarded for knocking out the biggest sides in the competition.

As cliched as it is, regarding the greatest domestic cup competition in football, Crystal Palace have achieved just that - making it to the fifth round for the first time in three seasons.

After getting past League One Stockport County in January, Oliver Glasner and his team navigated a Monday night trip to South Yorkshire with a 2-0 win over League Two Doncaster Rovers.

Not a classic for the neutral, but as the current Premier League leaders showed on Sunday, you cannot take anything for granted in a one-off encounter.

Eleven Premier League teams entered the fifth-round draw - 10 confirmed so far, with Nottingham Forest playing on Tuesday. The draw now means three top-flight teams are guaranteed to be out after the next set of fixtures - four if it is Forest who play Ipswich.

The draw is opening up very nicely for those remaining, and Glasner is a manager taking this competition seriously, as he did the Carabao Cup.

Of course, despite avoiding Premier League sides again, the added fire to the next match is the challenge posed by a south London derby against Millwall.

Having had a 37-year gap between FA Cup clashes, this is the second in three years - much like London buses or, more aptly, trains on the Windrush line headed to Norwood Junction.

Because of the team's current comfortable standing in the Premier League and the predicament of the bottom-four teams, the stakes in league matches are likely to lessen as the weeks drift by.

However, the magic of the cup is still alive in south London, only three weeks away, and will be eagerly anticipated.

Find more from Alex Pewter at FYP podcast, external

We asked for your thoughts after Monday's FA Cup game between Doncaster and Crystal Palace.

Here are some of your comments:

Gareth: An overall good performance from Palace. Great to see Oliver Glasner take it seriously with his line-up, as it didn't always feel like Roy Hodgson did the same. It was fantastic for Adam Wharton, who was excellent, and great to see a return for Matheus Franca, who hopefully can remain fit and show why we paid £25m. Will Hughes deserved MOTM. Millwall next for a tasty fifth-round game. COYP.

Glen: A solid performance. Hopefully we can smash Millwall in the next round and start to dream.

James: Efficient performance from the boys on what could have been a banana skin of a pitch. Wharton looked like a Rolls-Royce, Justin Devenny was class and Hughes pinned it all together - plus, a tidy debut for Ben Chilwell. All in all, a good night's work.

Gary: Comfortable for Palace and a classy goal from Devenney, but we didn't really click up front. Great to see Wharton back with a good performance - you can see his class. Matthew Turner's distribution was very poor at times. I thought Hughes was great in midfield. Our next five games are in London, so let's hope we can push on up the table and go to the next round of the cup.

Alex: A disciplined, professional performance. Really happy that the cup is being taken seriously (especially after this weekend's upsets!) and hoping another trip to Wembley later this season is on the cards. Hughes MOTM - effortless yet again and makes the midfield tick.

Al: We handled Doncaster well. Wharton looked a class above and Hughes was the standout player. Another away win keeps the confidence high. The back three of Chris Richards, Maxence Lacroix and Marc Guehi are proving to be a tough act to break down.

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Oliver Glasner says the FA Cup fifth round is even more special now that Crystal Palace have drawn Milwall.

The Eagles will be hoping for a similar result to the last time the two sides met in the FA Cup - a 2-1 victory at the Den in January 2022.

"I could feel the excitement in the dressing room," Glasner said after Monday's victory at Doncaster Rovers. "It makes this game even bigger than it is.

"As long as you are in the competition you can win it. We will go for it. I don't know if it will work, but we will go for it - definitely.

"I'm pleased with the performance [against Doncaster]. Over the first 60 minutes I think we controlled the game and didn't give them anything.

"We wanted to give Ben [Chilwell] some minutes. We could see he's comfortable in possession, in passing - a little bit more attacking than [Tyrick Mitchell]."

Steve Sutcliffe
BBC Sport journalist

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Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner played down talk of a trip to Wembley before his side's visit to Doncaster but it will firmly be on his radar now.

Having watched a largely second-string Liverpool tumble out of the FA Cup on Sunday and witnessed the likes of League One Leyton Orient give Manchester City a scare, the Austrian selected a strong starting XI and was rewarded with an efficient performance.

The Eagles simply had too much quality for a side 58 places below them in the English football pyramid and on a wet and windy evening in South Yorkshire there were also plenty of other positives for him.

Midfielder Adam Wharton lasted over an hour as he continued his return to full match fitness after a long lay-off.

And he also had the opportunity to introduce exciting teenage winger Romain Esse from the bench and give on-loan left-back Ben Chilwell his first taste of senior football since September, after he was frozen out at Chelsea.

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Crystal Palace's performance

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

The draw for the FA Cup fifth round has been made. Here is a list of all the ties involving Premier League teams in the order they were drawn.

Games will be played over the first weekend of March.

• Aston Villa v Cardiff City

• Crystal Palace/Doncaster v Millwall

• Man Utd v Fulham

• Newcastle v Brighton

• Bournemouth v Wolves

• Man City v Plymouth

• Exeter/Nottingham Forest v Ipswich

See the full draw

Is there something you want to ask about a Premier League club?

Former Premier League defender Nedum Onuoha is ready to answer your burning questions and give his thoughts on some of the biggest talking points for a special Q&A.

Submit your questions here and come back on Thursday for his answers

Doncaster are the lowest-ranked team left in the FA Cup but they will not be left in after they have played Crystal Palace.

Palace have really improved in the past couple of months and, after a slow start to the season, they are now safe from relegation.

I'd love to see the Eagles give it a go in the FA Cup this season.

With Jean-Philippe Mateta up front they are a threat to anyone, and they will have too much for Doncaster to deal with.

Sutton's prediction: 0-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Atletico Madrid are interested in signing 27-year-old Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, whose deal with the Eagles runs out in 2026. (Teamtalk), external

However, Lyon owner John Textor - who is a major shareholder at Crystal Palace - wants his Ligue 1 side to bid for £50m-rated Mateta. (Sun), external

Crystal Palace have earmarked Burnley's 22-year-old defender Maxime Esteve and Middlesbrough's 20-year-old defender Rav van den Berg as potential replacements for Marc Guehi. (Sun), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

This will be the first meeting between Doncaster Rovers and Crystal Palace since the 2018-19 FA Cup fifth round, with the Eagles winning 2-0 at Keepmoat Stadium.

Ahead of the FA Cup fourth round tie with Crystal Palace, Doncaster Rovers midfielder Owen Bailey tells The Football News Show why he's looking forward to pitting himself against England's Adam Wharton.

Watch an FA Cup special episode of The Football News Show on iPlayer

Image source, Getty Images

The fifth-round draw will take place during Monday's episode of The One Show on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Former England winger Theo Walcott, who won the trophy twice while with Arsenal, will conduct the draw at about 19:10 GMT.

There are 16 Premier League teams left in the draw, with Leicester having been beaten by Manchester United on Friday, and Arsenal, Brentford and West Ham exiting in the third round.

Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

"He played wing-back under Thomas Tuchel when they [Chelsea] won the Champions League," Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner pointed out about loan signing Ben Chilwell at his Friday news conference

It is easy to forget this fact, or overlook that it only happened three-and-a-half years ago in May 2021.

When Chilwell arrived in west London in August 2020, he had a reputation as one of the country's most exciting young defenders. Having made his England debut in September 2018, he was earmarked as a possible Three Lions left-back for years to come.

A player always conditioned more to attack than defend, Chilwell assisted from the bench on his Chelsea debut in a League Cup win over Barnsley, then scored and assisted on his Premier League debut for the club against Palace.

That season, across 42 appearances, Chilwell scored four times and assisted seven more, and formed part of the best defence in Europe following Tuchel's appointment in January.

They conceded just eight goals in 18 league games between his arrival - a mere two in seven Champions League knockout matches - while Chilwell and fellow full-back Reece James became key outlets in attack.

Indeed, he scored an important goal in the quarter-final win over Porto before largely nullifying Vinicius Junior across two semi-final legs and performing admirably in the final, where Chelsea beat Manchester City.

This momentum continued at the start of the 2021-22 season with Chilwell scoring in three consecutive Premier League games in October. Having netted on the final day of the previous season, it meant he had scored in each of his past four Premier League appearances. He said later that he was competing with James to finish the season as the club's top scorer.

However, his career trajectory changed with a ruptured cruciate ligament injury in November 2021, ending his campaign.

Despite being named vice-captain in August 2023, he has never rediscovered his Champions League-winning form or adjusted to each new Blues manager.

Under Glasner, he will have the opportunity to play in a familiar system and adopt a position of seniority for the first time in several seasons. If he displaces or shifts current incumbent Tyrick Mitchell that is - a point the Austrian emphasised in his news conference.

And he's still only 28, so in theory a return to form would allow plenty of time to rebuild his career.

On an entirely unrelated note, I wonder who the England manager is now...

Alex Howell
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Oliver Glasner has said that he wants his Crystal Palace side to take their "second chance" in a cup competition this season.

The Eagles reached the Carabao Cup quarter-finals but lost 3-2 at Arsenal and Glasner said that that the result "still hurts".

"England is one of the few countries where you have a second chance. We want to take our second chance," said the Austrian.

"We don't think about Wembley, we are focused on Doncaster.

"When you go as a Premier League club to a League Two club it is your responsibility to win this game."

Tasnim Chowdhury
BBC Sport journalist

Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner has been speaking to the media before Monday's FA Cup fourth round game against Doncaster Rovers (kick-off 19:45 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Glasner said Eddie Nketiah is a doubt after twisting his ankle in training while Eberechi Eze will not be available "because the pain in his foot has to settle down".

• Meanwhile, Chris Richards is sick but Glasner is hopeful he will be available. Adam Wharton is "looking sharp and good in training" and Matheus Franca could be brought into the squad earlier than planned as a result of other injuries.

• On why Palace signed full-back Ben Chilwell: "It was about who can help us immediately. He played wing-back under Thomas Tuchel when they won the Champions League and he can play in a back four. He is doing really well in training [but] it is a little bit different. The plan is he will get minutes at Doncaster."

• On Tottenham's deadline-day bid for Marc Guehi: "It was clear that we can't sell a player on deadline day as we can't find a replacement in a few hours. It is impossible. Credit to the chairman. Crystal Palace has to be number one in all considerations. We lost Trevoh Chalobah and Chadi Riad through injury. There were no negotiations."

• On Jean-Philippe Mateta: "He's doing really well and performing well. He scores great goals and he is very important for us. He is hard-working, always available and always in a good mood. He is also working really hard in defending. We have had four clean sheets in the last five games."

• On FA Cup opportunities against League Two Doncaster: "We are [only] looking to Doncaster. In a cup competition, it makes no sense thinking about the end. You have to make several steps to lift a trophy. We've watched them and we have big respect for them. They are second in the league and we prepare like we do for any game. It's a bit easier as we have a full week to prepare."

• He is therefore not looking too far ahead: "We don't think about Wembley - we are focused on Doncaster. When you go as a Premier League club to a League Two club, it is your responsibility to win this game."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Full commentary of Doncaster Rovers v Crystal Palace at 19:45 GMT on Monday on BBC Radio 5 Live

Manchester United, Chelsea and Newcastle are interested in Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, who is yet to sign a new contract. (TBR Football), external

Chelsea think Palace centre-back Marc Guehi will join them instead of Tottenham in the summer. (TBR Football), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Alex Howell
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Ben Chilwell's signing on loan from Chelsea gives Crystal Palace manager some much-needed options down the left side of his team despite the lack of a centre-back in the squad.

Palace are down to the bare bones at centre-back with only Marc Guehi, Chris Richards and Maxence Lacroix fit, after Trevoh Chalobah was recalled by Chelsea and Chadi Riad was ruled out for the season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

In Chilwell's announcement release by the club, it is referenced that Chilwell can play in many positions on the left of defence.

The 28-year-old has spoken himself how he is familiar with playing as a wing-back during his time at Chelsea, most notably in the Blues' 2021 Champions League victory.

Chilwell is more naturally inclined to attack than current left wing-back Tyrick Mitchell.

But also, his arrival means that either he or Mitchell or Chilwell could play as left centre-back to give natural balance to the backline.

However, Palace's back three is one of the strongest parts of their team so a change may seem strange at the moment, but having the option to do it will be a big bonus for Glasner.

Alex Pewter
Fan writer

At the start of the transfer window, Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner said he expected two signings. At the close of the window, that is precisely what he got.

Granted, the arrivals were later than he may have desired, but that has made little difference to the direction of the results. Over the past 12 Premier League games, a run that started with a double header against Newcastle and Ipswich, Palace are sixth in the form table with 22 points gained.

With the threat of relegation banished, the question is now whether Glasner's team can achieve a second consecutive top-half finish (10th does count) or if they will remain in the regular comfort zone of 11th-15th.

The two signings represent opposite ends of the squad-building spectrum; Romain Esse, the long-identified teenage prospect, and Ben Chilwell, a short-term loan to cover a long-known depth issue.

The dilemma with the Chilwell signing, if we can describe it as such, is only that it keeps the future left-back requirement very much on the list of priorities for the summer, which may be numerous.

As a player he would appear to be a good and experienced fit for the 3-4-2-1 system the team deploys, even in a rotational role, given the workloads of either of the wing backs so far.

Given the coaching ability of Glasner and his staff, which has seen the improvement of many individuals in his year at the club, we can only hope that sparks a resurgence in Chilwell should he make it onto the pitch.

It does leave Palace with the niche role of rehabilitating yet another unloved and discarded Chelsea player. Perhaps they should charge for that service, rather than the other way around.

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We asked for your views on Crystal Palace's transfer window and what you thought of the club's transfer deadline day as Ben Chilwell joined and Jeffrey Schlupp left on loan after eight years at the club.

Here are some of your comments:

Simon: A good move providing much-needed cover at left-back. With Holding and Schlupp leaving it was a good window. Esse will fill the gap vacated by Schlupp and Holding will never play another game while Glasner is in charge. Two in who can improve us and two out who are very much fringe players. A decent window.

Merlin: Admiration for the temporary Chilwell loan. I think he will be a great asset, but we need more support for Mateta - a solid striker, a regular goalscorer. JP can't do it all himself all the time. A further central defender and holding midfielder would have been great. Let's see how we do without a club great in Schlupp and our injuries. We just need a bit more quality in certain areas and we are Europe-bound.

Mark: The best bit of business was keeping Marc Guehi. Very happy with Esse, hope Chilwell loan spell works out - but so sad to lose Schlupp. What an asset he has been. I also hope previous signings like Matheus Franca get back into the squad and start delivering.

Grant: Good signings in. I wish Schlupp the best, good servant to the club but overall disappointment. No ambition from ownership. Would have been good to get OG more options across the board. I do understand the summer is easier, though.

Bill: Lack of game time and injury record doesn't augur well. Unlikely to feature unless Guehi, Lacroix or Richards are injured. Bench warmer, I'm afraid.