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Full Time After Extra Time This is a live match. Extra Time Half Time

Peterborough United vs Crystal Palace. Sky Bet Championship.

Weston Homes StadiumAttendance8,473.

Peterborough United 1

  • S Batt (53rd minute)

Crystal Palace 1

  • A Lee (64th minute)
  • P McCarthy (sent off 74th minute)

Ten man Eagles hold Posh

Image: McCarthy: Sent off

Peterborough moved out of the drop zone after being held to a 1-1 draw at London Road by ten-man Crystal Palace.

Batt scores opener before Lee replies and McCarthy is sent-off

Peterborough are still waiting for their first Championship win of the campaign after being held to a 1-1 draw at London Road by ten-man Crystal Palace. After a goalless first half, Shaun Batt put the home side ahead on the edge of the box on 53 minutes after Clint Hill had backed off. But Alan Lee equalised on 64 minutes after Posh failed to deal with a Darren Ambrose corner and Patrick McCarthy sent a header to the striker who managed to get the ball into the net from close range. Palace were then reduced to ten men when McCarthy was sent off on 74 minutes for a second bookable offence. The defender was booked in the first half for a foul on Craig Mackail-Smith and fouled the same player several times more before being shown a second yellow card. But Palace held on for a draw meaning Darren Ferguson's side remain without a win in the league this season, although they rose to 21st in the table, while the point means the Eagles climb to 16th. Palace had put in a spirited display in a Carling Cup defeat to Manchester City last Thursday but lacked any form of guile or drive until they fell behind. Palace goalkeeper Julian Speroni twice did well to claim crosses from the left as the home side started at a high tempo but the game soon descended into a scrappy affair.

Tested

Ambrose tested Joe Lewis with a powerful free-kick, while Neil Danns volleyed over and Mackail-Smith fired in a low shot at the other end as a dour first half drew to a close. The game was severely lacking in quality but the home side forged ahead in the 53rd minute through Batt. George Boyd span away from Danny Butterfield on the left and clipped a pass with the outside of his left foot to Batt on the right wing. He surged to the edge of the box after Hull backed off and planted a powerful effort across Speroni. It was a fine finish from the former Fisher Athletic winger but he was guilty of squandering an equally good chance just two minutes later. Again Boyd was the architect as Posh broke away from a Palace corner and his precise pass played Batt into a similar position. This time Batt chose to try and pass to Mackail-Smith but saw his ball easily cut out by the recovering McCarthy.
Scrappy goal
Palace suddenly looked interested and equalised with a scrappy goal in the 64th minute. An Ambrose corner was not dealt with, and when McCarthy sent a header back across the six-yard box Lee was able to prod the ball over the line from close range. Posh substitute Tommy Rowe then carved open the defence with a positive run, but Mackail-Smith was unable to locate a team-mate with the cross from the left. McCarthy was then dismissed for a second booking as referee Kevin Friend lost patience with his game-long duel with Mackail-Smith. Palace manager Neil Warnock was unsurprisingly unhappy with the decision but his side reorganised well and saw out the remainder of the game relatively untroubled.

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