Problems for Palace at both ends of the pitchpublished at 17:07 GMT
Crystal Palace v Fulham (17:30 GMT)
Paul Birch
BBC Sport
Sunday’s defeat by Spurs encapsulated where it’s going wrong for Crystal Palace of late, as their
manager Oliver Glasner is well aware.
“We created enough to score goals but miss all our chances and get punished by a corner, a set-play,”
he lamented soon after the final whistle. “We need to get this fixed.”
While the expected goals metric is given greater credence by some than others, it does lay bare
Palace’s attacking shortcomings this season. They would have reasonably been expected to score 29
league goals so far based on the quality of chances created; their actual tally of 21 goals equates to by
far the biggest underperformance in the division.
Jean Philippe Mateta was the Premier League’s second highest scorer in 2025 with 17 goals but the
only one of those to come in his last eight top-flight games was a penalty. The absence of dynamic duo
Ismaila Sarr and Daniel Munoz on the right-hand side has been keenly felt, prompting Palace to make a
£35m move for Brennan Johnson.
At the other end of the pitch, Crystal Palace are suffering from the yips when it comes to defending
set-pieces. Eight of the nine most recent goals conceded by the Eagles in all competitions, including
each of the past seven, have come from dead-ball situations: four corners, two throw-ins, one penalty
and a direct free kick.
Image source, Getty Images
