Crystal Palace beat Rayo Vallecano 1-0 to win their first-ever European trophy in the Uefa Conference League final.
Jean-Philippe Mateta did the business shortly after half-time, following a first half where both teams struggled to find their rhythm.
The final 30 minutes were nervy for Palace, with Rayo Vallecano taking control. But the Eagles stayed strong, limiting their Spanish opponents to shots from distance.
Oliver Glasner now leaves Crystal Palace with two major trophies, adding the Conference League to their FA Cup success last season — the first two in their history. And Palace now have a spot in the Europa League, which cannot be taken away from them.
How Crystal Palace won the Conference League
Palace’s pressing plan
The Eagles put in yet another brilliant defensive display, setting up in an initial 5-2-3 block. But they had the pressing triggers to shift into more of a 4-4-2 at times, to apply adequate pressure on the ball.
Rayo Vallecano set up with their two centre-backs either side of the goalkeeper in the first phase of buildup, pushing their full-backs higher in line with the midfield. Both holding midfielders stayed behind Crystal Palace’s front three.
Matea, Yeremy Pino and Ismaila Sarr were excellent in Palace’s front press. They blocked off any access into the double pivot, and allowed Rayo Vallecano’s back three to have the ball.
As a result, Vallecano had to force the ball wide with one of their full-backs as a passing option. But this triggered either Daniel Munoz or Tyrick Mitchel to jump in the press from their half-and-half position.
The Palace wing-back would be joined by the pack press of his same-side inside forward to trap the opposing full-back against the sideline. It stopped any central access being achieved via an inside diagonal pass.
When Palace were forced into a slightly deeper block, those wing-back to full-backs jumps were more dependent on the proximity of the inside forward. Both Sarr and Pino put in excellent defensive shifts to ensure Palace could stay compact in their shape.
The work of Palace’s front three allowed the Eagles to stay compact. Their two midfielders covered the central space, and their back five was ready to jump out aggressively on any entry pass inside the block.
Glaser’s 5-2-3 midblock as been a staple of Crystal Palace for the past few seasons. Even with different personnel stepping in, such as Chadi Riad and Jaydee Canvot, the execution didn’t falter. Each and every player did their role out-of-possession to perfection.
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Wharton optimised
Adam Wharton often found himself as the lone pivot in Crystal Palace’s midfeild. Every bit of play went through him, acting as the connector between units.
After missing out on a space in England’s World Cup squad this summer, Wharton looked like he had a point to prove. The midfielder looked to unlock doors from the middle of the pitch, with a flurry of runners ahead of him.
The likes of Sarr and Pino were making great counter movements to show to feet in the pockets, or run beyond Mateta into the space. Both wing-backs were also relentless with their runs to arrive in high and wide areas, giving Wharton the out ball into the flanks if he needed it.
Mateta was the target man through the middle offering the option for Wharton to either loft it into the big man, or play into his feet. It allowed the inside forwards and Kamada to get around him, picking up the second ball and looking to launch quick attacks from here.
Kamada’s role was key alongside Wharton. He driftied forward create a front six at times, but also dropped into low positions out wide to receive and coming towards Wharton to act as a bounce board. As a result, the pair were able to adjust their angles and find solutions to progress play.
Mateta the match winner
Wharton also had a key part to play in the match winner. The English midfielder carried the ball into space, with Rayo Vallecano’s press disorganised.
The 21-year-old was able to continue his run to just outside the box, stinging the gloves of Augusto Batalla with his shot.
But the goalkeeper could only parry the effort back into his own six-yard box. And there was Mateta to react quickly, getting his left foot up to cushion the ball into the back of the net. The fans went wild and the Eagles had one hand on the trophy.
Palace’s goal celebrations summed it up on the night. A huge group of the starters and substitutes ran towards the Palace fans in the corner, perfoming Mateta’s famous scissor-kick celebration on the corner flag. A togetherness that led Palace to European glory.