Crystal Palace cruised to a commanding 3-0 win over Fiorentina in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League quarter-final, moving closer to a historic first European semi-final appearance.
Jean-Philippe Mateta ended a three-month goal drought, opening the scoring from the penalty spot in the 24th minute after Evann Guessand was brought down by Dodô.
The forward also helped create the second goal seven minutes later, as Tyrick Mitchell converted after David de Gea parried Mateta’s close-range effort.
Palace dominated the opening half, while Fiorentina improved after the break, with Giovanni Fabbian hitting the crossbar and Dean Henderson making key saves to deny Albert Gudmundsson and Roberto Piccoli.
However, Ismaïla Sarr sealed the emphatic victory in stoppage time, heading home a cross from Daichi Kamada.
Palace will head to Florence for the return leg next week, with a semi-final clash against either Shakhtar Donetsk or AZ Alkmaar awaiting the winner.