It was while Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta was being fitted for an oxygen mask, into a neck brace and transferred to his hospital-bound stretcher after a karate-kick assault from Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts that the away supporters started singing their sadistic song.
‘Let him die, let him die, let him die,’ it went. As if the head-high challenge itself was not grotesque enough – comparable to West Germany goalkeeper Harald Schumacher crashing into France’s Patrick Battiston in the 1982 World Cup semi-finals – the chanting only deepened the deplorability.
It came not only from a few fans who had managed to find a boozer willing to sell them the hard stuff early on Saturday morning. It was loud. It was shameless. It was discernible inside Selhurst Park and also to those watching at home on television, as the BBC’s Jonathan Pearce was forced to address it on his commentary: ‘Millwall fans are not endearing themselves to anyone with their chanting about Mateta. The football club could be revisited about that.’
The Football Association have confirmed to Mail Sport that, while they condemn such offensive chanting, it does not constitute of a breach according to their rulebook.
The ‘Chelsea rent boy’ chants aimed at Ben Chilwell might, however, and we can confirm the FA are now investigating Millwall for their 3,700-strong away end potentially engaging in homophobia.
While Roberts may not have meant to do such damage to Mateta, his flying foul at full force was reckless in the extreme and well worth the red card he received which ultimately meant the Championship visitors would struggle to ever win this FA Cup tie.
Crystal Palace booked their place in the FA Cup quarter-finals by beating 10-man Millwall
Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts was sent off in the early stages for a shocking challenge
When trying to clear, Roberts’ studs were high and he caught Jean-Philippe Mateta in the head
Palace chairman Steve Parish was spotted reenacting the challenge in the stands to staff. During a half-time interview, Parish described it as an abysmal act of violence, the like of which he had never seen before.
Separated by only six miles, proof of the increased potential for trouble between these two clubs came as you passed the Sainsbury’s petrol station next door to Selhurst Park. There were rows of police vans and riot officers in case anyone dared try something stupid prior to this 12.15pm start.
There were five minutes on the clock when Millwall’s goalkeeper indulged in his own act of mindlessness as Mateta ran to meet a ball which had been played over the top by Will Hughes.
Collateral damage be damned, Roberts sprinted out of his box determined to win the bouncing ball. He did so, but the follow-through saw him boot Mateta in the head at startling speed, replays seeming to show how his studs scraped from chin to scalp.
Palace’s striker is a big bloke, 6ft 4in and 88kg of pure muscle, but he was ran over by a 30-year-old stream train in that moment.
Referee Michael Oliver missed it as a red in real time but for once, we can be thankful that VAR was in operation in the FA Cup.
This was a kung-fu kick which naturally brought back memories of Eric Cantona at this very stadium in 1995 and therefore only right that, while the medical experts saw to Mateta, Oliver dismissed Roberts via a visit to his pitch-side monitor.
At the Peninsula Hotel in London on Thursday, Parish was holding court with a group of listeners which included Mail Sport at the FT Business of Football Summit.
He discussed how a 1-0 lead is the worst feeling in football in the angst it provides. He will tell you now that this was worse, as Parish and Co awaited news on Mateta, someone who has scored 14 goals in all competitions for Palace this season and is a universally popular figure in football.
Mateta received nine minutes of treatment before he was subsequently taken off on a stretcher
Mateta was taken to hospital as Palace fans sung his name on his way off the pitch
An own goal by Japhet Tanganga, left, saw Crystal Palace take a 33rd minute lead
The original foul had occurred after five minutes and 18 seconds. The game restarted after 15 minutes and 35, though the football felt slightly secondary now for some fans.
Eddie Nketiah replaced Mateta and within seconds, he was celebrating making it 1-0, only for Oliver to disallow the goal for a handball in the build-up. This one was called right in real time.
With their man advantage, Palace created chances, Eberechi Eze among those going close. When Millwall’s Camel Neghli went down with an ankle injury, Palace fans decided to borrow their rivals’ chant as they sang: ‘Let him die.’ Two wrongs do not make a right.
Chilwell was starting for the first time since joining on loan from Chelsea and he would have scored were it not for substitute goalkeeper Lukas Jensen denying him after he had broken behind.
In the 33rd minute, Palace took the lead when Hughes crossed and Millwall’s Japhet Tanganga diverted the ball into his own goal. It was 2-0 after 40 minutes when Daniel Munoz capitalised on a ricochet as Billy Mitchell tried and failed to clear the danger. It was originally disallowed for offside, but once the officials realised Palace players were not involved in the build-up, it was given.
Amid 13 minutes added time after the Mateta treatment, Millwall made it 2-1, Wes Harding squeezing the ball through a crowd of six Palace players including goalkeeper Matt Turner.
Daniel Munoz doubled the hosts lead from close range after chaotic Millwall defending
Wes Harding pulled a goal back for Millwall deep into added time at the end of the first half
Eddie Nketiah’s looping header made sure of Crystal Palace’s place in the quarter-finals
Palace signed Romain Esse from Millwall for £14.5million in January and the 19-year-old scored with his first touch as a Premier League footballer a handful of weeks back. In the 65th minute, he was brought off the bench as Oliver Glasner looked to wrap up the win. That arrived in the 82nd when Nketiah’s header looped over Jensen and went in off the post.
At full-time, Esse walked over to the Millwall end to applaud his old fans. On his way back to the tunnel, he also stopped to thank Palace’s supporters, this time smacking the badge on his chest. ‘Boom Boom Boom Boom’ by the Vengaboys began to play – Mateta’s song.
Palace won this FA Cup clash and they can look forward to a quarter-final, but it was hard to leave Selhurst Park discussing anything other than the lamentable challenge from Roberts and equally embarrassing chanting which followed.
