Glasner says he almost used Nathaniel Clyne as makeshift striker as Palace advance on penalties

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner said he almost deployed full back Nathaniel Clyne as a makeshift striker because of limited options on the bench after the Eagles beat Millwall on penalties to reach the Carabao Cup fourth round.

Palace drew 1-1 with the Championship side on Tuesday, with Chris Richards scoring for the visitors before Ryan Leonard cancelled it out with a stoppage-time header. Goalkeeper Walter Benítez, making his debut, saved two spot kicks in the shootout as Palace converted all four of their penalties to progress.

Glasner defended Jean-Philippe Mateta after the striker fired wide from close range deep into stoppage time, calling the miss a consequence of fatigue. "I think JP honestly needs a break; you saw his chance was just fatigue from playing every game, every minute," Glasner said. He added that, in the second half, he had considered a trio of unusual options to lead the line: "Clyne, Cardines, or Rodney."

The comments followed a night in which Palace extended an unbeaten run to 16 competitive matches dating to mid-April, a sequence that encompasses the end of last season, the FA Cup final victory, the Community Shield and the early stages of the Premier League and Conference League this term.

Glasner noted Palace have been hampered by injuries at the start of the season, with Eddie Nketiah, Cheick Doucouré, Adam Wharton and Ismaïla Sarr among those sidelined. The head coach has also faced a squad reshuffle over the summer, when Palace sold Eberechi Eze to Arsenal for a reported £60 million. Incoming signings this summer included Benítez, Borna Sosa, Yeremy Pino and Jaydee Canvot.

The manager has been publicly linked to frustration over the club's transfer activity. He denied reports last week that he had threatened to quit over a proposed deadline-day move for captain Marc Guéhi to Liverpool, a move that ultimately did not materialize.

Glasner used the postmatch briefing on Tuesday to single out 20-year-old Romain Esse, who was substituted at half-time. "I don't want to talk about a single player, but if you sub someone at half-time you are not pleased with his performance," Glasner said. "When you get a chance, you have to perform and show you can help the team win the game. If I get the feeling a player doesn't help a team win the game, he doesn't get many minutes. He's a nice guy, I like him as a person. But I'm not being paid to be a nice person, I'm being paid to win games. It's up to the player to improve."

Glasner also framed Palace's current phase as one of resilience. "At the moment it is more fighting than playing, we are fighting for the points rather than playing for the points," he said. "There will be moments where we will play better, have better performances and win. Staying unbeaten is important for us and not always talking about the problems we have, many teams would be delighted if they are unbeaten on September 16, we are one of them."

Palace now prepare for upcoming fixtures with squad management a key issue, given the number of players unavailable through injury and the incoming names adapting to Glasner's system. The Carabao Cup victory preserved momentum, but the manager's comments underscored the depth concerns that have framed much of the club's summer and early-season narrative.