Crystal Palace

Alex Pewter
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Chris Richards did not come away with the fan-voted man of the match honours on Saturday, a stunning Tyrick Mitchell volley ensured that. Yet the American defender took second place with 34%, showing that even without a match-winner, his performances are not going unnoticed by Crystal Palace fans.

Perhaps going unnoticed had been the theme of much of Richards' time at the club, and it may be a surprise that his appearance against West Ham was his 80th for Palace across all competitions.

It took until his second season after joining from Bayern Munich for him to battle his way onto the pitch as a starter, stepping up to play out of position in midfield when the team was short, which spoke to his character and a trait that managers clearly appreciate.

Since January, he has undoubtedly elevated from being the 'next man up' at centre-back to an established part of Oliver Glasner's defensive trio. Perhaps he should have been aggrieved about being sat behind Trevoh Chalobah for half a season, as the defensive performances improved once he took over.

It is easy to see why, as playing as the outside centre-back on either side is ideally suited to his game. He is fast enough to track wingers when left on an island, as he did against Crysencio Summerville on Saturday, while he also has the physicality to take on centre-forwards in the air.

As one of many Palace players entering the final two years of his deal - which will become a priority to address, at 25 years old - he has yet to enter his prime years.

Headed into a World Cup year with the United States as co-hosts, Richards is arguably the leading defender in their squad already.

This has the makings of a career season for him.

Find more from Alex Pewter at FYP podcast, external

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between West Ham and Crystal Palace.

Here are some of your comments:

West Ham fans

Jay: Surely Graham Potter is gone by the time this is posted. He looks so out of his depth and bereft of any ideas to turn things around. We have good players and you can see the desire to perform, but tactically we are inept!

Kevin: They can appoint as many coaches as they wish but nothing will change until the ownership does.

Peter: I'm afraid Potter's position is untenable now but will a new manager make any difference? I think not. January is too far away and Arne Slot couldn't sort this team out. I can't see us beating anyone so relegation beckons. David Sullivan and Karren Brady have to go, and what was the point of Daniel Kretinsky's investment? I feel sorry for my grandchildren having to watch the demise of our club.

Barry: It couldn't have been worse. How can a Premier League team be unable to defend corners or set-pieces? Potter's time has come to an end and the players didn't really fight to save him. Not sure a new manager will make a difference but the board needs a scapegoat for its inadequacies.

Palace fans

Clive: Not Palace's best performance this season but this team has found the knack to win when not necessarily playing at its best. The spirit and togetherness instilled by Oliver Glasner is evident and the key to their incredible run of 17 games unbeaten. The board should be preparing early to give him exactly what he wants and back him big-time in January's window. Exciting times at Selhurst Park.

Keith: Gritty team performance from Palace where the players put in a fantastic amount of effort. Justly got the three points, but without being near our best. As usual, we could have had more goals with a bit more thought and luck.

Pedro: Fifth in the Premier League without really firing on all cylinders. If we can add a few cylinders in January, we can get even better. West Ham, can we play you every week? South London and proud!

Al: Shows the steel and determination of the team. Solid, professional and apart from a 15-minute period by West Ham, I felt we controlled the game. Yet again our defensive structure is solid and we're sitting in fifth unbeaten. In Glasner we trust.

Image source, Getty Images

Former Crystal Palace striker Clinton Morrison says the reason the club are doing so well is because of the standards manager Oliver Glasner sets.

"He is top drawer," said Morrison on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast. "The issue will be keeping hold of him.

"He has only got this season left because there will be a lot of top clubs looking at him.

"I even heard Manchester United might be because they play the same formation as Palace. I would say Palace actually have the players to play that formation better than United can at the moment.

"I was at the Palace training ground a few weeks ago and the training intensity that Glasner sets is so high. It is train how you play. That is why Palace are doing so great.

"They have a great chance this year in the Conference League. The back three are fantastic and they managed to keep hold of Marc Guehi.

"He might go in January but it is about enjoying it while you can. It is the same with Adam Wharton because he is a fantastic player. He had been out for two weeks but strolled thorough the game against West Ham on Saturday.

"It is good times for my old club."

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Crystal Palace are expected to rebuff any offer for Adam Wharton in the January transfer window, with Liverpool and Real Madrid keen on the midfielder. (Football Insider), external

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Pundits Wayne Rooney and Danny Murphy join host Kelly Cates to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Brighton 2-2 Tottenham

• Wolves 1-3 Leeds

• Man Utd 2-1 Chelsea

Michael Emons
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

While West Ham are a club in turmoil on and off the field, Crystal Palace fans have never had it so good.

This victory takes the Eagles fourth with Oliver Glasner's side still unbeaten after nine games in all competitions this season, more than any other top-flight team.

Despite selling star player Eberechi Eze to Arsenal, Glasner has helped them to two wins and three draws from their opening five matches, as well as winning the Community Shield by beating Premier League champions Liverpool on penalties.

The Eagles have also negotiated their way into the main phase of the Conference League in their first ever European campaign and also defeated south London rivals Millwall to reach the last 16 of the Carabao Cup.

Away fans sung about their FA Cup win in May and their forthcoming European tour - and these are glorious times for the Palace supporters.

What will have particularly pleased Glasner is how his side shut out West Ham after they took the lead for the second time, with the hosts creating no late chances and Palace holding on to their lead with relative ease.

Oliver Glasner spoke to Sky Sports after Crystal Palace's victory agaist West Ham: "[Tyrick Mitchell scored a] fantastic goal, he crowned his performance today. he defended so well.

"We did really well today, the only criticism is that we didn't decide the game when we could have done.

"We had some good situations in thebox when we didn't score. Then West Ham scored and the momentum changed.

"We struggled for a bit, but credit to the players.

"The goal for the next few months is to be more efficient in attack, be more clinical and take the chances that we have.

"We have a lot of potential, it's about being more consistent in decision-making. This is our foundation.

"Results are so tight in the Premier League, you always have to perform on your top level. It's so competitive, but we will prepare [for Liverpool] in the best way. We feel ready, but we will need a better performance than today to beat them."

Eagles forward Jean-Philippe Mateta spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Saturday's win: "[I am] very tired! I'm very happy, we needed that win and I think we deserved it. We are very happy as a team.

"We have a very good team, good team-mates, we trust each other.

"Every game is hard, we just believe and keep believing. T [Tyrick Mitchell] scored a fantastic goal.

"We are confident, we try to give our best and do what the gaffer asks. We work every week [on set-pieces] and try to get better and better every game.

"We have to stay focused and keep working."

Did you know?

Jean-Phillipe Mateta scored his 50th goal in all competitions for Crystal Palace, with 34 of them coming in 68 games under Oliver Glasner. It was his fifth goal across his last four appearances against West Ham in the Premier League.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on West Ham's performance

What did you make of Crystal Palace's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Graham Potter makes two changes to his West Ham side following a 3-0 home defeat to Tottenham last weekend.

Alphonse Areola replaces Mads Hermansen in goal, while Callum Wilson comes in for the suspended Tomas Soucek.

West Ham XI: Areola, Walker-Peters, Kilman, Mavropanos, Diouf, Ward-Prowse, Fernandes, Paqueta, Bowen, Wilson, Summerville.

Subs: Hermansen, Julio, Fullkrug, Guilherme, Rodriguez, Todibo, Magassa, Scarles, Irving.

Oliver Glasner makes just the one change to the Crystal Palace side that drew 0-0 with Sunderland last weekend, as he was able to rotate his squad in the midweek League Cup tie against Millwall.

That change sees Adam Wharton return from a groin injury and replace Jefferson Lerma in midfield.

Crystal Palace XI: Henderson, Richards, Lacroix, Guehi, Munoz, Hughes, Wharton, Mitchell, Pino, Kamada, Mateta.

Subs: Matthews, Lerma, Nketiah, Clyne, Uche, Canvot, Sosa, Devenny, Cardines.

There are seven games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Liverpool v Everton (12:30)

• Brighton v Tottenham - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Burnley v Nottingham Forest

• West Ham v Crystal Palace

• Wolves v Leeds

• Manchester United v Chelsea (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Fulham v Brentford (20:00)

Kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

I got into an argument with a couple of West Ham fans on BBC Radio 5 Live's 606 because they had left early during last weekend's defeat by Tottenham.

It is their right - I get that - but if you're a proper fan, you don't leave early. I never did that as a kid when I used to support Nottingham Forest.

West Ham are at home again this week, but that is more likely to hinder them than help them - and how many times have we seen this movie with the Hammers now?

The owners always take the brunt of the blame when things are going wrong, but they spent over £120m on new players this summer, with a net spend of £70m, and the problem for boss Graham Potter is that there hasn't been any improvement from when he took over in January.

Crystal Palace are so well drilled that, even if they are without injured duo Ismaila Sarr and Adam Wharton, they should still do a job on them.

Sutton's prediction: 0-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Sophie Brown
BBC Sport journalist

East London rivals West Ham and Crystal Palace have had contrasting form heading into their fixture on Saturday.

A third home London derby in just the fifth league game of the season is probably not what West Ham would have wanted right now, as they have so far been a bit too hospitable when the neighbours have popped round this season.

The Hammers' defensive generosity saw them ship a combined total of eight goals when hosting Chelsea and Tottenham – add that to the three they let in at Sunderland on the opening day of the season, and it is no surprise they have conceded the most goals in the 2025-26 Premier League so far.

But the worrying thing for the Hammers, who spent close to £100m on defensive players over the summer, is not just the total, it is the manner in which they have conceded those 11 goals, which have come despite them having an xG of just 5.5.

Six goals have been let in from corners, which is twice as many as any other top-flight team have allowed, and only two fewer than West Ham conceded from corners in the whole of last season.

The London Stadium faithful have seen nine goals this season, but only one has been scored by their team. They have not witnessed a home win since February so it is no surprise patience is wearing thin with head coach Graham Potter, who has now lost 11 of his 22 league games at West Ham.

Crystal Palace warmed up for this derby encounter with a match-up against another local rival, seeing off Millwall in an EFL Cup penalty shootout in midweek.

It was a 16th match unbeaten for the Eagles, who are also on the current longest unbeaten run in the Premier League, a stretch of 10 games. It is their best such streak in the top flight since 1990.

They have not lost on their past six visits to West Ham, and have lost just two of their last 17 away Premier League matches, keeping nine clean sheets in their last 15 on the road. Their one league goal conceded so far this season is matched only by Arsenal and Tottenham.

That pragmatic approach may explain why they have had 12 0-0 draws in the Premier League since the start of 2022-23, at least two more than any other team in that time.

But Palace fans will not care about a lack of goals – they have come a long way in the past year. Eleven months ago they were in the relegation zone and without a win in the league, but two trophies since then have turned Oliver Glasner from a manager under pressure into a club hero.

Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against West Ham at London Stadium (15:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Glasner confirmed Adam Wharton and Eddie Nketiah are both fit to return to the squad.

• On Wharton: "I think Adam is fit enough to start. He just missed two weeks, 10 days, and then he started his training on the pitch, and he is with us now for a few days."

• On Nketiah: "Eddie is a bit different. He missed all the pre-season, but he looked very good in training today and on Wednesday, when we had a really intense session, so let's see how the game is going, but those players looked very sharp in training."

• Goalkeeper Walter Benitez dislocated a finger in training and will miss at least the next two games while Ismaila Sarr will return to training on Sunday.

• Glasner is happy to have the option of Nketiah back: "Sometimes as a striker you have to work a lot, and you bring in fresh legs which makes it difficult for the defenders, because the defenders get fatigue as well. It's good to have Eddie back, but not just for this reason – we always want to have every player available, that's why we're always working hard."

• On managing Jean-Phillipe Mateta's workload: "Usually strikers always want to play every single minute. JP is the same and it's just having the option [to rest him] which is good. If you need a goal you want the players on the pitch who have showed they can score goals. In games that are tight or we need a goal that's why we always kept him on the pitch."

• Glasner paid tribute to the Eagles' medical department: "Big credit to our medical department. The players worked really hard – it started with Daichi Kamada and also Eddie and Adam. Everyone is coming back earlier than expected, so credit to the medical staff."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

As part of our this season's service, we are inviting you to submit your questions about Crystal Palace using this form.

This week, one of the submissions was about how Palace adopted Glad All Over as the club's song - so we went to investigate.

During the 1963-64 season The Dave Clark Five record Glad All Over reached number one in the UK singles chart and it was not long before it was heard on the terraces at Selhurst Park.

It is widely reported that the band played the song live at Selhurst Park in 1968 - but according to the Palace website, external, it is first referred to in the programme for the home game against Peterborough on 25th January 1964, where it was noted that playing the song over the public address system kept the feet of supporters warm at half-time!

It was BBC producer John Henty - who also spent over 30 years manning the Selhurst Park sound system - that decided one day to play Glad All Over and the club has never looked back.

"It seemed right at the time," Henty said when asked why, external he chose that particular song. "It was in the charts. I didn't play it immediately [in November 1963], but it went to number one in January 1964, and that was probably the time I thought of trying it out.

"I liked playing the records – that was part of the job I really enjoyed, welcoming people and playing the music – and I tried one or two other things. But Glad All Over went down well, particularly with the kids.

"In those days, they were all around on the Selhurst terraces. They used to thump those advertising hoardings very loudly with Glad All Over – and that's how it all started!"

On 26 May, 1990, the Crystal Palace FA Cup final squad had one week's success with a cover version, reaching number 47 in the charts.

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Crystal Palace's loan of Christantus Uche from Getafe will automatically become a permanent deal if the 22-year-old forward starts 10 matches this season. (Marca - in Spanish), external

Chelsea are the latest club to express an interest signing 25-year-old Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi when his contract expires next summer. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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