Crystal Palace suffered a 3-2 defeat to Lyon in the Europa League as Pierre Sage lost on his return to the club that dismissed him in January 2025.
Lyon established control early, with Corentin Tolisso opening the scoring after Palace failed to clear a corner. Ernest Nuamah then doubled the advantage in first-half stoppage time, leaving the visitors without a shot on target before the interval.
Palace responded more positively after the break and reduced the deficit in the 50th minute. Yeremy Pino produced a fine finish at the near post after Adam Wharton played the ball into the area.
Daichi Kamada later appealed for a penalty after going down under a challenge from Nuamah, but the referee waved play on and the incident was cleared by VAR.
Lyon restored their two-goal lead in the 76th minute when Pavel Sulc flicked Keito Nakamura’s effort into the net. Kamada struck five minutes later to give Palace renewed hope, but Sage’s side could not complete the comeback.
Palace’s set-piece problems exposed again
The opening goal continued a troubling pattern for Crystal Palace, who have conceded 35 set-piece goals in all competitions since the start of last season. Only Chelsea and Newcastle, with 37 and 36 respectively, have conceded more among Premier League sides during that period.
The defeat was particularly significant after Lyon’s involvement, through John Textor, cost Palace their place in the Europa League last season. The Eagles will now attempt to respond against rivals Brighton on Sunday before travelling to Besiktas for their next European fixture.
