Crystal Palace won their first Europa League match 4-0 against the Polish champions on Thursday and made the step up from the Conference League look like a formality. Selhurst Park had wondered how this would go. It went about as well as it could.
The opening goal arrived as a gift. Terry Yegbe's throw-in for Lech Poznan went nowhere near a team-mate and landed at the feet of Yeremy Pino just outside the box. Pino took a couple of touches, walked into the area and finished. Yegbe's evening got worse later when only an offside flag stopped him turning a wild 35-yard clearance into his own net.
Three goals before the interval
Palace's second came from their second shot on target, Chris Richards heading in an Adam Wharton corner. Eleven minutes before the break Radoslaw Murawski brought Pino down in the area and Jorgen Strand Larsen converted the penalty, his fourth goal in three games.
That was the tie. Lech had chances after the restart and their supporters kept singing through all of them, but Palace were never in danger. Murawski picked up a second booking late on, and moments after he went off Eddie Nketiah slid a fourth into the bottom corner with a minute of normal time left.
What this does for Palace
The last two seasons have given Palace fans an FA Cup and then the Conference League, which made them the first club to win a major European trophy in their debut campaign since KV Mechelen took the Cup Winners' Cup in 1987-88. The Europa League is a level up and supporters were entitled to be cautious about it.
On this evidence the knockout stage should be within reach, though Lech did make it easier than it might have been. More useful than the result is what it might do for a team that has lost three of its first four Premier League games. Confidence has been thin. Four goals and a clean sheet will help.
Sarr's awkward return
One other moment carried weight. Ismaila Sarr came on in the second half for his first appearance of the season, after a proposed move to Liverpool fell through late in the window. He was applauded by most of the ground. He was also booed by some of it. That relationship is going to need a few performances before it settles.
Pino finished as the highest-rated player on the night, with Strand Larsen and Wharton behind him. Palace travel to Lyon in their next Europa League fixture on 15 October.
Match facts: Crystal Palace 4-0 Lech Poznan, Europa League league phase, Selhurst Park, Thursday 17 September 2026. Scorers: Yeremy Pino, Chris Richards, Jorgen Strand Larsen (pen), Eddie Nketiah 89. Radoslaw Murawski sent off for a second yellow card. Palace won the 2025-26 Conference League and face Lyon away on 15 October.
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