Ruthless Palace blitz Shelbourne in Dublin to close in on last-16 Conference League spot | OneFootball

Crystal Palace strengthened their push for automatic progression in the Conference League after brushing aside Shelbourne with a ruthless first-half display in Dublin.

Oliver Glasner’s side scored three times before the break through Christantus Uche, Eddie Nketiah and Yeremy Pino to secure a third consecutive win in all competitions.

Palace arrived in Ireland without several key players but were in control from the opening minutes and needed only 11 minutes to take the lead after Uche finished off a quick, incisive move that opened up Shelbourne’s defence.

Nketiah believed he should have had a penalty soon after when he broke into the box, but his frustration disappeared moments later when he doubled the advantage from close range after Uche’s shot came back off the post.

Chris Richards then struck the bar with a header as Palace continued to dominate a home side who struggled to get out of their own half.

Pino capped the one-sided half with a composed goal in the 37th minute, weaving through weak challenges before placing a finish beyond Wessel Speel to seal a victory Palace never looked in danger of losing.

The visitors began the night in 18th place in the league phase but moved into the top nine with this result, and they will now have the chance to secure an automatic place in the last 16 when they face KuPS in south London next week.

Shelbourne, participating in the league phase of a European competition for the first time, worked hard but were repeatedly exposed by Palace’s movement and intensity.

The Irish side remain winless in the competition and rarely threatened to make a contest of the match beyond sporadic breaks forward.

Glasner made several changes at half-time with the game effectively settled, introducing Will Hughes, Jefferson Lerma and Romain Esse as Palace looked to manage minutes in a demanding December schedule.

Esse nearly added a fourth with one of his first touches and later saw another effort clip both posts before being gathered on the line, while Uche missed a clear chance to increase the margin as Palace kept Shelbourne pinned back.

The only concern for the visitors came late on when Justin Devenny was forced off after appearing to pick up a knock, although the closing stages otherwise passed without threat to Palace’s comfortable lead.

Glasner will now turn attention to the decisive final league-phase fixture, with Palace well placed to extend their impressive European run.