October 10 2026

Selhurst Park

Palace have produced victories, defeats and improved defensive displays during Pierre Sage’s opening weeks, but five league matches are not enough to establish a clear pattern, writes Ben Layland.

Crystal Palace entered the international break in 15th place after taking four points from their first five Premier League fixtures. The Eagles have won once, drawn once and lost three times in the league. Those figures do not make particularly encouraging reading, but the performances have been more varied than the record suggests.

Palace recovered twice before winning 3-2 at Fulham, played most of the 3-2 defeat against Ipswich Town with ten men and then earned a goalless draw away at Leeds United.

Sage’s side also began their Europa League campaign with an impressive 4-0 victory over Lech Poznań at Selhurst Park. The results have moved between extremes, giving supporters plenty to discuss ahead of Palace's return to Premier League action.

What The Leeds Draw Showed

Palace travelled to Elland Road only three days after beating Lech Poznań in Europe. Sage retained nine of the players who had started the Europa League match, but the Eagles still competed well against a Leeds team that had begun the season strongly at home.

Palace registered four shots on target compared with Leeds’ two. Tyrick Mitchell also had a second-half goal ruled out after Anan Khalaili was caught offside during the build-up.

At the other end, Walter Benítez denied Dominic Calvert-Lewin as Palace recorded their first Premier League clean sheet of the season.

The Holmesdale Online match report described it as a hard-fought point, and that seems fair.

Palace did not dominate the match, but they looked organised and showed few obvious signs of tiredness after their European commitments. It was an improvement on the defensive performance against Ipswich.

One Result Does Not Create A Trend

It is tempting to treat every new result as proof that a team has turned a corner or entered a crisis. Palace’s opening matches show why that can be misleading.

The Fulham victory demonstrated the team’s ability to respond after falling behind. The Ipswich defeat was shaped by Axel Disasi’s red card in the 34th minute, while the Leeds draw was built around patience and defensive discipline. Each match involved different circumstances.

The distinction is useful when comparing football with games based entirely on random outcomes. For example, the selection of classic, video, and progressive jackpot slots at Jackpot City includes games in which each spin produces an independent result. A previous spin does not make any particular outcome more likely on the next one.

Football does not work in the same way. Players carry fitness, confidence and tactical instructions from one match into another. A suspension changes the following team selection, while a successful adjustment can become part of the manager’s plans for the next fixture.

That does not mean a short sequence reveals everything. Palace have played only five league matches, so the evidence remains limited.

Sage Has Time To Work

The three-week break between the Leeds and Nottingham Forest fixtures has given Sage an unusual period without a competitive first-team match.

Not every player has remained at the training ground. Eleven senior Palace players have been involved with their national teams during the break, reducing the amount of work the manager can complete with the entire squad.

There has still been an opportunity to review the opening matches and prepare for the next run of fixtures.

Sage will want to retain the defensive organisation Palace showed at Leeds. He must also find a way to create chances more consistently without leaving the team exposed.

The return of Ismaïla Sarr should help. The winger made substitute appearances against Lech Poznań and Leeds after missing the beginning of the season with a groin injury.

Forest Visit Selhurst Next

Palace return to Premier League action against Nottingham Forest at Selhurst Park on Sunday, 11 October. Forest entered the break one position and one point above the Eagles. The match therefore gives Palace an opportunity to move ahead of another side in the lower half of the early table.

The fixture is listed on the club’s official website, with kick-off scheduled for 2pm. Another clean sheet would support the idea that Palace are becoming more settled under Sage. A victory would also improve a league record that currently contains only one win. Neither outcome would settle the season.

Palace have shown attacking quality in Europe, resilience at Fulham and greater defensive control at Leeds. They have also conceded nine goals across their three league defeats.

The opening five matches have supplied reasons for concern and encouragement in roughly equal measure. The next run of games should make Palace’s direction much easier to judge.