'flying' Sarr Easing Crystal Palace's Eze Loss

Filling nan boots of Eberechi Eze was ne'er going to beryllium easy.

The England midfielder departed Crystal Palace for a caller situation astatine Arsenal this summertime pinch 40 goals and 28 assists crossed 169 appearances successful each competitions nether his loop - including a historical extremity astatine Wembley successful nan FA Cup to seal Palace a first awesome trophy.

But Senegal guardant Ismaila Sarr has much than risen to nan task of filling nan void near by Eze pinch 8 goals successful 15 games this season.

His double connected Thursday helped nan Eagles to a 3-1 triumph complete Dutch broadside AZ Alkmaar - a first triumph successful nan Europa Conference League connected location ungraded - and underlined their credentials arsenic 1 of nan favourites for nan title.

But it was not conscionable nan 2 goals that made Sarr nan main talking point.

The 27-year-old was a changeless threat going guardant pinch his pace, touch, clever runs and link-up play pinch guardant Jean-Philippe Mateta.

He deed nan station successful nan early exchanges of nan lucifer earlier winning a punishment erstwhile goalkeeper Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro brought him down successful nan box, though Mateta yet missed nan spot-kick.

Sarr past saw his header brilliantly saved earlier nipping successful to bundle nan shot complete nan statement conscionable earlier half-time past adding his 2nd and Palace's 3rd of nan nighttime erstwhile Mateta teed him up to complaint done and slot home.

"Sarr is successful basking form," said erstwhile Palace defender Joel Ward connected TNT Sports.

"He adds truthful overmuch to nan squad and, erstwhile location is abstraction for him to onslaught and nan shot is played successful beforehand of him, he is personification not galore group tin guidelines pinch and support up with. He showed awesome composure passim nan crippled arsenic well.

"Sarr is flying. With playing successful that statement and being successful nan mediate of nan transportation and JP [Mateta] going deep, it allows those spaces for nan wide players and nan 10 to tally successful behind. It tin confuse nan defenders."

Sarr has 4 goals successful his past 3 appearances and is already adjacent to matching his tally from past play - 12 goals crossed each competitions.

Palace signed Sarr from Marseille for a interest of astir £12.5m successful 2024 successful an effort to switch winger Michael Olise, who had joined Bayern Munich that summer.

That is simply a portion of business that now looks incredibly shrewd, peculiarly pinch Eze besides leaving nan nine this year.

Boss Oliver Glasner called nan erstwhile Watford guardant "an important player" for nan club.

"It looks for illustration he is dealing really good pinch this - we cognize erstwhile he has pace, he is really good," nan Austrian said.

"He has specified awesome runs, specified awesome finishes. I remember, much aliases less, nan aforesaid decorativeness he had against Brighton [last season].

"He had nan aforesaid decorativeness against Arsenal successful nan FA Cup [last season]. He is nan 1 pinch nan pace, and much runs successful behind, nan astir sprinting difference. It helps he creates abstraction for nan others. He has done really well."

The Conference League has been won by an English squad successful 2 of nan past 3 tournaments and Palace are among nan favourites to adhd their names to that database this term.

After a daze conclusion by AEK Larnaka astatine Selhurst Park past clip out, Glasner said nan triumph successful beforehand of their location supporters was overmuch needed.

"I dream it won't beryllium nan last," he said.

"The first clip you ever remember, location was a awesome atmosphere. I deliberation everyone enjoyed it and goes location pleased pinch nan consequence and nan performance."