Crystal Palace 3 West Brom 1 - match report

A shocking first-half display saw the Baggies 2-0 down at the interval through goals from Palace debutants Tom Ince and Joe Ledley.

Pepe Mel's side fought back just 26 seconds into the second half when substitute Thievy Bifouma scored with his second touch in an Albion shirt.

But a controversial penalty ended their hopes of a comeback when Marouane Chamakh went down under Ben Foster's challenge and got up to score from the spot.

Palace made the early running but it was Albion who should have led on six minutes.

Victor Anichebe raced onto a superb through-ball from Chris Brunt and found himself one-on-one with Julian Speroni, but the big striker sent a tame shot straight at the Palace keeper.

Moments later the hosts were almost ahead when a corner from Tom Ince ricocheted goalwards off the knee of Brunt and was cleared off the line by Youssouf Mulumbu and Scott Dann put the rebound over the bar.

Palace did strike, however, in the 16th minute as Albion failed to deal with a diagonal ball from inside the home side's half.

Craig Dawson was beaten in the air by Marouane Chamakh, Yannick Bolasie reacted quicker than Billy Jones to force the ball into Ince's path, and the former Blackpool man produced a fine finish to beat Ben Foster.

Albion had a chance to equalise when Gareth McAuley headed a Brunt corner back across goal, but Craig Dawson volleyed over the bar.

And just 11 minutes after opening the scoring, Palace doubled their lead through more woeful Albion defending.

Ince floated in a corner from the right and Ledley arrived totally unmarked to power home a header from close range.

Albion's half was summed up late on when they won a free-kick on the edge of the Palace box but James Morrison drove it into the wall and it ran through to Speroni.

But the Baggies gave themselves a chance less than a minute into the second half when Thievy – one of two half-time substitutes introduced by Mel – made an instant impact.

His first touch in an Albion shirt saw him turn away from Kagisho Dikgacoi and his second, after a neat one-two with Anichebe, was a shot that crept into the bottom corner.

Albion continued to press but they could have been two goals behind again just before the hour-mark when Ince darted behind makeshift full-back Brunt and beat Dawson, only for McAuley to make a fine saving challenge.

Albion were denied an equaliser twice just after the hour-mark by two fabulous saves from Speroni.

First the Palace keeper flung himself to his left to palm a long-range piledriver from James Morrison around the post.

And then he made a brilliant scrambling stop to deny half-time substitute Scott Sinclair in a frantic goalmouth scramble.

But it was 3-1 with 20 minutes remaining courtesy of more shocking defending and a poor decision by referee Chris Foy.

McAuley misjudged a high ball and allowed Chamakh a one-on-one with Foster, who raced out to challenge the striker.

Chamakh went down and Foy awarded a penalty but replays showed the Baggies keeper got a touch on the ball.

Foy opted not to send Foster off but the Baggies No.1 had no chance as Chamakh rolled the spot-kick into the bottom corner.

Anichebe almost threw Albion a lifeline when he turned Delaney superbly and rode two challenges before firing just over the bar from 15 yards.