Crystal Palace boss Pierre Sage suffered a frustrating Europa League defeat after his side fell 3-2 to his former employers Lyon at the Groupama Stadium.
Corentin Tolisso opened the scoring for the hosts and Ernest Nuamah doubled Lyon’s advantage late in a first half void of any shots on target for the visitors.
Yeremy Pino cut the deficit in half five minutes after the break before Pavel Sulc restored the Ligue 1 side’s advantage.
Eagles substitute Daichi Kamada pulled one back with nine minutes remaining in a better second half for Palace, who could not find a third.
Days after beating his predecessor, Nottingham Forest boss Oliver Glasner, at Selhurst Park in the Premier League on Sunday, Sage found himself returning to the home of the club he managed for 14 months.
Yeremy Pino pulled one back for Crystal Palace in the second half
AFP/Getty
Ismaila Sarr, who claimed the Conference League golden boot last season, was in a Crystal Palace starting line-up for the first time this season.
Lyon took the lead after Palace were unable to deal with a Nuamah corner, allowing Tolisso to lash the ball past Walter Benitez on the turn.
Benitez came out to punch away Nuamah’s header from Tolisso’s cross on the half hour, but it took another five minutes before Palace strung together an attack, when Sarr forced Dominik Greif to tip his effort away.
Sarr was insistent he had nodded it in the direction of the Lyon goal, but the referee disagreed and booked the Senegal international, who had his hand raised, for a handball, resulting in Palace losing out on what would have been a resulting corner.
Nuamah continued to look dangerous and was denied from close range late in the first half by a timely Jaydee Canvot block before he doubled their lead on the stroke of half-time.
Lyon moved the ball quickly, making easy work of Palace’s defence as they worked it to the ever-threatening Keito Nakamura.
Corentin Tolisso gave Palace headaches throughout Thursday evening
AFP/Getty
The Japan international picked out Nuamah, who gave Benitez no chance with a low finish from the edge of the six-yard box.
Palace started the second half with a more promising attacking spell and cut the deficit in half.
The visitors took a short corner, working it to Tyrick Mitchell then Adam Wharton, whose incisive pass allowed Pino to fire home in the 50th minute.
Jorgen Strand Larsen misdirected a header moments later as Palace finally seemed to have found a footing, and there was another effort across the face of goal.
Sage swapped Sarr and Strand Larsen for Eddie Nketiah and Kamada just after the hour, moments before Benitez tipped an Abner effort over, and Palace were incensed when Kamada was brought down clumsily by Nuamah, protesting for a penalty.
The incident was checked but play carried on, and Kamada – with the ball at his feet not far from the line – could not manoeuvre it past Greif.
Lyon then restored their advantage when Sulc got on the end of a Nakamura effort and flicked the ball past Benitez in the 76th minute.
Kamada, who had infused more life into Sage’s side since his introduction, once again found himself with the ball at his feet with less than 10 minutes remaining, and swept it home.
Palace won a late corner and Chris Richards came close to nodding the sides level, but Greif got a palm to it to preserve the win.