Match Recap: Crystal Palace u23s 1-3 Leeds United u23s

Leeds United’s under-23 side got their Premier League 2 Division 1 campaign off to a winning start as they beat Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

The Whites have a new-look line-up for the new season - with the familiar faces being Cresswell, Drameh, McCarron, Jenkins, Forshaw, Summerville and Gelhardt, while Kris Moore stepped up from the under-18s.

Meanwhile, competitive debuts were handed to Klaesson, Lewis Bate and Amari Miller with McGurk making the bench alongside last season’s top-scorer, Sam Greenwood.

Leeds opened the scoring on eight minutes as Jack Jenkins found Crysencio Summerville whose first touch helped him nip by his marker and break into the box from the right. He took his time and slotted a side-footed strike into the bottom-left corner to give Leeds the lead.

But Palace came back just a few minutes later, scoring from a corner-kick where the skipper took full advantage of poor marking at the back post, blasting a header home to equalise.

The Whites won a penalty-kick on 18 minutes when Cody Drameh’s brilliant run down the right opened up room for a cut-back to Lewis Bate. His shot was saved and spilled to Amari Miller at the back post. His shot hit the hand of Boateng on the line, and he was subsequently sent off while Leeds had a spot-kick.

Joe Gelhardt stepped up but hit a poor penalty that was saved by the keeper, unfazed by Gelhardt’s skip-step technique, saving to his left-hand side.

As Leeds kept the pressure on in the second half, they were finally rewarded on 70 minutes as a brilliant team goal put them ahead again. The team’s patient play around the penalty area opened space on the right channel for Cody Drameh. His perfectly weighted ball slipped across the six-yard box and Liam McCarron bundled the ball home at the back post.

Just four minutes later and Leeds snatched another goal as Drameh swung a ball in which was parried into the path of Sean McGurk. The debutant controlled it well, spun onto his right foot and blasted the shot across the keeper into the bottom-right corner.

At the other end, another debutant had his heroic moment as Drameh conceded a penalty with seven minutes to go. Klaesson, despite looking shaky at times, made a great save low to his right to keep the score at 3-1.

A good start to the season for the young Whites, albeit against 10-men in a crazy game with four goals, two penalties and a red card.