October 19 2026

Selhurst Park

Four minutes had gone at the Amex when Jaydee Canvot turned the ball into his own net, writes Ashley Carless.

Diego Gómez then scored from 51 yards, and Yasin Ayari made it three in the tenth minute. Brighton went on to win 5-0, but the game was over long before the final whistle.

Pierre Sage did not try to explain it away. "Completely not normal to behind by three in nine minutes," he said afterwards.

Brighton was the extreme case, but it was not a one-off. Slow starts have run through Palace's season, and they may be the most urgent thing Sage has to fix, starting with Newcastle at Selhurst on Sunday. The good news is that the evidence suggests they can be fixed.

A Pattern, Not A One-Off

In the Premier League, opponents have scored first in five of Palace's seven games. The only exceptions were the 0-0 at Leeds and the home game against Ipswich, where Palace took a 14th-minute lead but went on to lose 3-2 despite twice being level. Palace have also trailed at half-time in five of those seven matches, and ten of the 17 league goals they have conceded came before the break.

The early goals have become a habit. Fulham scored after 11 minutes at Craven Cottage, and Palace have now conceded inside the first ten minutes in three games in a row, with Forest scoring after three minutes, Lyon after eight and Brighton after four. Across all competitions, six goals have gone in against them inside the opening quarter of an hour.

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The Second Half Tells A Different Story

The flip side is far more encouraging. In the first halves of league games this season, Palace have scored four and conceded ten. In second halves, they have scored five and conceded seven, and without the Brighton game the second-half record is level at five apiece.

Some of the comebacks have been impressive. At Fulham, Palace fell behind twice and still won 3-2, with Ben Chilwell scoring the winner in the 77th minute, within three minutes of coming on. Against Forest, they recovered from conceding after three minutes to win 3-1. In Lyon, they were 2-0 down at half-time and almost rescued a point.

Sage has noticed it too. Before Brighton, he said he wanted to see "our better phases, like the second halves of our last two games". The conclusion is simple. This side can play, and the half-time changes are working. The problem is how Palace start, and that should be easier to fix than a lack of quality.

What Sage Thinks Is Going Wrong

Sage has been open about the issue. Before the derby he admitted: "It's difficult to explain… We just have to put altogether the conditions to start well." Afterwards, he went further. "It's in the preparation and the way we give them motivation to start the game in the locker room or the warm-up," he said. He also accepted responsibility: "The first work is on me."

He pointed to the way Palace defend, too. "When we defend low we struggle a lot," he said, adding that "the way of defending is not only on the back three; it is for every player". It is to his credit that he is looking at routines and team talks rather than blaming individuals, but supporters will want to see the change on the pitch, not just hear about it in press conferences.

No Single Culprit

What stands out about the early goals is how different they have been. Josh King's opener at Fulham took a deflection. Dan Ndoye beat Walter Benitez with a low shot after three minutes. Corentin Tolisso had Lyon ahead after eight. At Brighton, Palace conceded an own goal and then a strike from near the halfway line.

That suggests there is no single tactical flaw or set-piece problem to fix. It points instead to concentration and organisation in the opening minutes, and that is where a lack of continuity hurts. Before the international break, Sage changed his back three in every league game, according to Fantasy Football Scout, and with captain Dean Henderson injured, Benitez has been playing behind a defence that has rarely had the chance to settle.

Sage's own philosophy offers a clue. "There are two types of teams: one with the ball, and the other chasing it," he once said. "I prefer to be the first of those teams." Too often this season, Palace have spent the opening minutes chasing.

What Has To Change Before Newcastle

The next test comes quickly. Palace face Beşiktaş in Istanbul on Thursday, a hostile ground where a slow start could be costly, before Newcastle visit Selhurst at 2pm on Sunday. Newcastle have lost their last two league games, 4-1 at Coventry and 1-0 at home to Aston Villa, so a fast start would be the best way to keep their confidence low.

Three changes would help. The first is to name the same back three for both games if fitness allows, giving the defence a chance to build an understanding. The second is to start on the front foot with the ball, in line with Sage's own preference, rather than sitting deep, which he admits is when Palace struggle most. The third is the one he has already hinted at: a different routine before kick-off, from the warm-up to the final words in the dressing room.

None of this is beyond a manager who took Lyon from the bottom of Ligue 1 to sixth and won the French Cup with Lens. If Palace can start matches more effectively and reproduce their better second-half performances, the table could look very different by the November international break.