Shelbourne 0-3 Crystal Palace: Highlights, man of the match, stats as Oliver Glasner's Eagles bolster Conference League hopes

Crystal Palace bolstered their Conference League chances with a dominant 3-0 victory over Shelbourne at Tallaght Stadium on Thursday night.

Joey O'Brien's side came into this game as underdogs, and unfortunately for the League of Ireland team, they found themselves behind after just 11 minutes when Christantus Ugonna Uche converted a simple chance from an Eddie Nketiah cross.

It was then Nketiah's turn to benefit from Uche's work, as the number nine was on hand to score the Eagles' second off the rebound after the striker struck the post.

However, the visitors were not finished in the first half, and pressed home their advantage courtesy of a memorable goal from Yeremy Pino, who dribbled through the Shelbourne midfield and rifled a third into the bottom-left corner.

Thanks to their commanding lead, Oliver Glasner was able to take off all of Adam Wharton, Daichi Kamada and Pino at the interval, saving their legs for this weekend's clash against Manchester City.

The second half may have offered no goals, but Palace continued to have chances with the likes of Romain Esse hitting the woodwork, and the Premier League club kept the Shels at bay to collect an important - and well-deserved - three points on the road.

SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT

Shelbourne arrived for this match having earned just a single point in their Conference League campaign so far, and - as expected - they walked away empty-handed once again.

Thursday's defeat finally saw O'Brien's men eliminated from the competition, but they will have the chance to go again next term after finishing third in the League of Ireland's Premier Division in 2025, thereby qualifying for the playoffs.

As for Palace, they are enjoying another strong year, and while questions were posed at the start of the season about the club's ability to compete both domestically and on the continental stage, the Eagles have responded by winning three of their five European games so far.

This victory has Glasner's side ninth in the table, where their tally of nine points sees them just one shy of the top eight, and with one match to play in the league phase, the Londoners will be optimistic about their chances of reaching the round of 16 automatically.

SHELBOURNE VS. CRYSTAL PALACE HIGHLIGHTS

Christantus Uche goal vs. Shelbourne (11th min, Shelbourne 0-1 Crystal Palace)

Brilliant team play by Crystal Palace finished off by Uche ?

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Kamada plays the ball through to Nketiah on the left wing, where the 26-year-old is in acres of space.

Nketiah then drives forward before delivering a low cross to Uche, who puts Palace ahead with a first-time side-footed finish from 15 yards out.

Eddie Nketiah goal vs. Shelbourne (25th min, Shelbourne 0-2 Crystal Palace)

A tap-in for Nketiah to double Crystal Palace's lead against Shelbourne ?

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Pino slides a disguised pass to Uche, putting him one-on-one with Shelbourne goalkeeper Wessel Speel, and while his poke beats the shot-stopper, it bounces off the post.

Fortunately for the Eagles, Nketiah was on hand to tap home the rebound and double their lead!

Yeremy Pino goal vs. Shelbourne (37th min, Shelbourne 0-3 Crystal Palace)

A classy goal from Yeremy Pino to put Crystal Palace 3-0 up inside 40 minutes ⚡️

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— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) December 11, 2025

Building on his fine display so far, Pino glides from the centre of the park to the edge of the Shels' box before placing a precise finish into the bottom-left corner.

Palace's lead looks unassailable now!

MAN OF THE MATCH - EDDIE NKETIAH

Nketiah provided the assist for Uche's opener before scoring the second himself, and even if he was the beneficiary of a rebound, his positioning was excellent.

The Eagles' number nine helped to put the game to bed before half time, allowing some of the Londoners' heavy hitters to rest before a huge match at the weekend.

SHELBOURNE VS. CRYSTAL PALACE MATCH STATS

Possession: Shelbourne 39%-61% Crystal Palace

Shots: Shelbourne 5-28 Crystal Palace

Shots on target: Shelbourne 1-10 Crystal Palace

Corners: Shelbourne 2-9 Crystal Palace

Fouls: Shelbourne 8-15 Crystal Palace

WHAT NEXT?

Shelbourne will travel to take on Slovenia's Celje next Thursday in the Conference League, while Palace will host Man City in the Premier League on Sunday, before returning to European action against KuPS.