Palace beats Cardiff 1-0 in League Cup semifinals

London: Crystal Palace took a step toward its first major final in 22 years by beating Cardiff 1-0 on Tuesday night in the first leg of the League Cup semifinals on Anthony Gardner’s 43rd-minute header.

Gardner’s goal at Selhurst Park was his first in more than a year. The second leg is at Cardiff in two weeks. Cardiff’s Kenny Miller had a goal contentiously disallowed in the second half for a foul on goalkeeper Julian Speroni. Palace’s last major final was a 1-0 loss to Manchester United in the 1990 FA Cup. Bureau Report