February 5 2003

Julian Gray pulls his shirt over head after scoring

Ten-man Crystal Palace recorded a famous win over Liverpool at Anfield in the FA Cup fourth round replay.

Liverpool started the game with a flurry of chances - the first when Cedric Berthelin tipped Bruno Cheyrou's effort over the bar and Sami Hyypia headed the resulting corner wide.

Michael Owen was put through by Cheyrou on 11 minutes, but the England striker could only put his shot wide of the far post. Cheyrou was then through on goal and Berthelin saved his effort and Emile Heskey's follow-up.

In reply, Palace striker Dele Adebola's header went straight into the hands of Jerzy Dudek from Kit Symons's corner flick-on.

Owen fluffled another chance, this time over the bar from eight yards, after good work from Heskey and Diouf down the right wing. Heskey put another chance over after running onto a Stephane Henchoz long ball.

Eagles boss Trevor Francis made a tactical move by replacing Danny Granville for Dougie Freedman, with Julian Gray moving to left wingback, to give Palace more options up front as they were being torn apart by the home side.

Palace got back into the match, forcing a few succesive corners, and the introduction of Freedman was proving to be a success.

Then Liverpool broke on the counter-attack and Owen had a shot blocked from the edge of the box by Berthelin who then saved the rebound.

In the first minute of the second half, Heskey made a 70-yard run - there was not a defender in sight - and had his shot saved by the keeper when he should have passed to the unmarked Owen instead.

Freedman had a shot over the bar from the edge of the box before the Eagles broke the deadlock on 54 minutes.

Adebola didn't get enough on Danny Butterfield's cross from the right and the ball fell to Julian Gray on his own on the left who fired the ball home with a fierce drive.

The Reds pushed forward for an equaliser, Cheyrou and Hyypia had headers wide, while Andy Johnson should have scored for Palace as Dudek pulled off a good save with flashed inches past the post on the hour mark.

Milan Baros came on five minutes later as Liverpool, playing with four strikers, desperately searched for a goal. But on 69 minutes, Freedman was shown a straight red card by referee Phil Dowd for elbowing Hyypia after a niggly challenge.

Ten-man Palace nervously held onto their slender lead as Diouf, Baros and Cheyrou had opportunities to score, but Berthelin matched them all.

Then on 77 minutes, Gray surged down the left wing and crossed in the box where Henchoz turned the ball into his own net to make it 2-0 to the Londoners.

Francis threw on Steven Thompson and Ade Akinbiyi for Johnson and Adebola in the closing stages as Palace held out for an amazing win.

Post match comments:

Trevor Francis said: "I've won here twice as a player for Birmingham and Manchester City, but never as a manager.

"I've had three goes now as a manager and finally made it. When I was manager at Birmingham, we ran them close in the Worthington Cup Final, then 10 days ago we should have beaten them at our place. This time we did it.

"But it certainly seemed unlikely at times, we could barely get into their half but it was Liverpool's inability to finish that allowed us to stay in the match, sometimes I don't know how we survived.

"They made chance after chance and when they keep missing them you wonder whether it's going to be your night.

"In the second half we got better, we pushed forward more and we found the gaps as they attacked."

On Freedman's sending off, Francis added: "I didn't see it too clearly but I've spoken to the referee and he’s said it was an elbow so I've no complaints about it. Dougie was fouled and retaliated."

Liverpool: Dudek, Carragher, Henchoz, Hyypia, Riise, Diouf, Murphy (Baros 67), Hamann, Cheyrou, Owen, Heskey.

Subs not used: Arphexad, Diao, Biscan, Traore.

Palace: Berthelin, Symons, Powell, Popovic, Butterfield, Mullins, Derry, Gray, Granville (Freedman 36 (sent off 70)), Adebola, Johnson (Thomson 88).

Subs not used: Black, Cronin.

Booking: Derry.

Referee: P Dowd (Stoke-on-Trent).

Attendance: 35,109.