Palace exited the League Cup at the third-round stage following a 3-0 loss on Tuesday evening but will have the opportunity to gain a measure of revenge on the same ground this weekend.

Ayew, who started with the Palace captain’s armband for the first time, told Palace TV: “It was really tough. We kept on pushing, we kept on fighting. We changed our shape in the second half and it was a bit better.

“We know they were just better than us tonight and we just need to go back home, recover and get ready for Saturday, because Saturday’s going to be a different game. I think this game has given us more desire and more will to win on Saturday.

“[In the first-half] I just felt we were a bit narrow. We wanted to close the middle and they were just hitting diagonals, going wide to the wingers and full-backs and causing us a lot of danger. That was a problem.

“With three at the back [in the second-half] it made it a bit easier to go across, but at the end of the day, we still lost.

“We just need to go back home and recover well because the most important thing is that Saturday is ahead of us. We want to come here and show a better face of our team and a better Crystal Palace.”