Lyon 3-2 Crystal Palace: Pierre Sage suffers defeat to former side as Eagles comeback falls short in Europa League

Lyon raced into a two-goal lead thanks to goals from Corentin Tolisso and Ernest Nuamah either side of the first half and looked comfortable while ahead, with Palace offering little in the form of a response without a shot on target.

Sage, facing the club that sacked him in January 2025, sparked a reaction after the interval with Yeremy Pino pulling a goal back with his fine strike at the near post in the 50th minute.

Pavel Sulc's flick to divert Keito Nakamura's shot looked to have ended any hopes of a comeback until Daichi Kamada, who had already seen a strong claim for a penalty waved away despite contact from Nuamah, halved the deficit with under 10 minutes to go.

The resurgence ultimately fell short and means Palace suffered defeat to the team that cost them their place in the Europa League last season due to former co-owner John Textor also being a majority owner in the Ligue 1 side.

The Eagles will now look to bounce back when they face rivals Brighton, live on Sky Sports , this Sunday before a tough trip to Besiktas in their next European outing.

8: GOAL! Lyon take an early lead after Tolisso reacts first in the box to sweep home following lacklustre Palace defending.

45+2: GOAL! Nuamah doubles the lead for Lyon just before the break after guiding his effort into the back of the net.

21: GAME ON? Pino pulls one back with fine strike into the roof of the net following Adam Wharton's fine pass into the box.

68: PENALTY CLAIM! Daichi Kamada goes down inside the area after being bundled over by Nuamah but play is waved on and VAR clears the incident.

76: GOAL! Sulc flicks Keito Nakamura's shot into the back of the net to restore two-goal lead.

81: COMEBACK ON? Kamada sparks hopes of a comeback after halving the deficit with under 10 minutes to go.

Sage: Disappointing return, we were nowhere near our standards

"It's a very disappointing return because we lost. I can't take satisfaction from coming back home or seeing familiar faces when the result isn't there.

"The scoreline may have been close, but there was a big difference in the way the two teams played.

"We were nowhere near our usual standards in the first half. We improved considerably after the break and gave ourselves a chance, but conceding that third goal made things difficult.

"I think our second-half efforts deserved an equaliser, although winning would have been a generous reward given that we only really played [to our level] for one half."

Lyon were a mountain Palace couldn't climb

"Like the game against Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace fell behind early doors. The first half was a timid but one sided affair. Palace offered nothing and failed to register a shot on target in the first 45 minutes.

"The improvement did come after the restart, a positive sign of the impact Pierre Sage can have with his half-time team talks, but the third for Lyon always seemed like a step too far.

"Palace kept pushing and halved the deficit once more but left themselves with far too much to do with time ticking down.

"It is a new era at Selhurst Park with Sage and consistency is not in their repertoire as things stand. One thing they can address to give themselves the best chance in the meantime is their vulnerability from set pieces.

"The opener came from failing to clear their lines from a routine corner, as Corentin Tolisson reacted quickest to sweep home.

"Palace have shipped 35 set-piece goals in all competitions since the start of last season, a figure only two Premier League side have exceeded (Chelsea on 37 and Newcastle on 36). It is a clear weakness in their play and needs to be addressed sooner, rather than later, if they are to progress under the new boss."

What the result means and next fixtures...