Oliver Glasner launches staunch defence of Romain Esse after criticism following first Crystal Palace goal | OneFootball

Teenager scored with first touch on debut in defeat to Brentford

Oliver Glasner has defended Romain Esse for celebrating his debut goal despite the fact Crystal Palace were losing at the time, adding that footballers should “quit” if they don’t feel like expressing their emotions after scoring.

After the match, Esse received some criticism online from supporters of other teams, many of whom took issue with the teenager celebrating a goal when his team were still losing.

In a post on social media on Monday, Esse admitted he had got “a bit carried away with the cele but this meant a lot for me & my family!”

His new manager, Glasner, has now launched a staunch defence of Esse’s decision to celebrate.

The Austrian told reporters: “He [Esse] did not know that we would lose. There was 15 minutes to play.

“I always tell the players to celebrate every single goal — this is why we play football.

“If we don’t celebrate or feel happy when we score a goal, then quit.”

“He had to. Of course, he should [celebrate]. Everybody can blame me because he had to celebrate, that is what I expect from players. When we have a game in training and they score, I want them to celebrate. That’s why we play football.

“If I don’t enjoy it or I don’t feel great when I score a goal then there is something wrong.”

Glasner added: “It worries me that sometimes when I watch youth teams, children, play, they score a goal and they go back as if it’s a normal thing. I go: ‘Come on, can’t they show their emotions?’ It is the best thing in the world.

“When you have your first game for a team in the highest league — the Premier League — and you score a goal, if you don’t celebrate, I would not understand it.

“It’s unfair to say ‘don’t celebrate’ when you are losing because at that moment everyone in the stadium — maybe not the Brentford fans, but everybody else — got their hope back that we could get the equaliser.

“In that particular moment, it is important to show emotions to catch our fans, to create optimism and to show we are back again. So it was fine, what he did.”

Palace face Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.