Cambridge United produced probably the best team performance of the season to sweep first division Crystal Palace aside and progress to the fourth round. The third clean sheet of the FA Cup campaign laid the foundations - although admittedly Palace players wasted two sitters - and even two disallowed goals were not enough to undermine this confident performance.

Roy McFarland had said there would be changes in tonight's team but he sprung a couple of real shocks with the complete exclusion from the squad of Neil Mustoe and Michael Kyd. As anticipated new signing Jason Kavanagh made his debut at right back, allowing Ian Ashbee to switch back to midfield at the expense of Mustoe, while veteran John Taylor took Kyd's place in the three man attack. Alex Russell made a welcome return to the first team picture by taking a place on the bench.

Kick-off was delayed until 8.15pm due to a road accident near the M11/M25 junction, and there was a presentation on the pitch shortly beforehand to retiring kit manager Roger Parker.

United kicked off towards the away end but made a bright start and after just 15 seconds John Taylor released Martin Butler who had a shot from 20 yards, and although it was a weak shot along the ground Fraser Digby spooned it around the post for the first of several early United corners. In the third minute Butler forced a panicking Palace defence to put the ball out for another corner, and from the counter-attack Leon McKenzie's long-range effort was saved low down by Shaun Marshall as he showed Digby how it should be done.

In the sixth minute Butler scampered away down the right before putting over a good low cross for Benjamin, and the big striker made progress into the box before putting a shot just wide. Palace broke away from that attack and Matt Svensson got away down the left, finding McKenzie in space four yards out who tried to backheel the ball home but missed by a laughable margin.

Kavanagh makes his debut - picture © Copyright Neil Everitt

United continued to dominate possession and severely tested a Palace defence that looked more shaky than the U's have this season. Taylor had a golden chance to make that pressure pay in the 21st minute when he latched onto a poor defensive header, but his first time shot hit the foot of a post. Two minutes later in a sweet move Neil Mackenzie's raking pass was flicked on by Paul Wanless to Kavanagh on the overlap, and from his good cross Butler produced a fine finish but the flag was up to disappoint the celebrating home fans.

There were appeals for a penalty in the 26th minute when Mackenzie scuffed a shot and the ball found its way to John Taylor, who turned his defender and went for goal but the ball hit the hand of Chinese defender Fan Zhiyi. There were loud appeals for handball but the referee waved play on. Undeterred United continued to cause problems for Palace with Butler and Benjamin both playing at the top of their game and giving their markers plenty of problems.

Fans were still arriving at the ground as the rain started to fall, and in the 36th minute Benjamin brilliantly turned his man before Zhiyi put the ball out for a corner. From Wilson's short corner routine possession was lost and Neil Mackenzie was injured challenging for the ball, but as play went on Butler's speculative shot from the edge of the area bounced in front of Digby who fumbled it and nearly pushed the ball right into the path of Benjamin.

In the 41st minute Mackenzie's inswinging corner bounced off Mullins and almost embarrassed Digby on the line, then in the 45th minute after a Palace breakaway Svensson was brilliantly held up on the edge of the area by Martin McNeil, the ball fell to Simon Rodger whose shot was well wide. The players trooped off in sheeting rain as the weather settled in to become truly appalling. (Half-time 0-0)

A minute into the second half an exquisite backheel from Paul Wanless set up John Taylor for a 25 yard shot which was just wide, but United saw less of the ball after the break as Palace attacked the away end and tried to assert their superior pedigree. The game hit a scrappy spell ten minutes in as neither side could get to grips with the game, but United had the next chance when a corner was cleared as far as Ashbee whose 25 yard shot was straight at Digby's midriff.

For a brief moment in the 58th minute it looked as though United had taken the lead, but for the second time Martin Butler had the ball in the back of the net only to see the linesman's flag in the air after he had latched onto Ian Ashbee's flicked through ball. Eight minutes later Benjamin got away before firing in a shot that bounced off the Palace defence and Taylor fired the rebound well over the bar.

The game continued to be scrappy with both sides wary of conceding the first goal, and after playing some good football it was ironic that United's vital first goal came from the most direct source of all. Shaun Marshall's long ball forward was chased by Trevor Benjamin, the ball was allowed to bounce in front of him and as Digby hesitated Benjamin headed the ball over him and into the net.

The celebrations had barely subsided when Palace had another golden chance to score after United's offside trap failed, allowing Zhiyi a free shot from a rebound 3 or four yards out, but he failed to make contact and missed the proverbial sitter. United had the game by the scruff of the neck by now, playing some confident football that was reminiscent of last season, and the all-important second goal came in the 81st minute. John Taylor, battling on just days after saying it was a young man's game and he couldn't last 90 minutes any more, crossed the ball perfectly for Paul Wanless to crown a superb game by wrong-footing the 'keeper with a glancing header.

The rampant U's could have had another a minute later when Butler slipped the defence and shot from the edge of the box, but Digby got enough on the ball for his defence to hack the ball clear. Two minutes later Hayden Mullins clattered into the back of Butler in a nasty challenge that was punished with a second yellow card and the red. After that John Taylor's experience showed as he slowed the game down and ensured that United kept their third successive clean sheet in the FA Cup - a feat we have not managed in the league for over 20 games!

A happy Mark Johnson summarised by saying, "We absolutely dominated from the moment Digby spooned that shot round the post in the first minute, to the final minute."

Candidates for his Man of the Match included Paul Wanless, "for that exquisite backheel, Neil Mackenzie for making two challenges in the second half, Martin Butler who ran his socks off, Martin McNeil and Marc Joseph for solid performances, Jason Kavanagh who had a good game at right back ... in fact I'm struggling to think of someone who had a bad game!"

But eventually he decided on Trevor Benjamin: "The best game of the season for him. He scared the life out of them all evening."