Crystal Palace

Alex Pewter
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Saturday's victory over Brentford was significant for Oliver Glasner's team, as it continued the momentum from the mid-week cup victory over Liverpool, and ended a three-game winless run in the league.

In a congested Premier League table, keeping pace with the pack is clearly essential, as the squad faces a relentless run of games ahead until the new year.

This season, Glasner has used 22 players in the Premier League, with two of them having now departed.

Of the remaining 20, there is a clear core of 15, each of whom has started games. Eddie Nketiah, a five-time substitute, is now unfortunately out due to injury.

Having just passed the quarter-mark stage in the league, that group has played 98.7% of the minutes available – Eberechi Eze, in his one appearance against Chelsea, has still featured more than all the others combined.

It is therefore no surprise that Palace currently have the most completed full games from players in the league so far, the fewest substitutions used, and the joint shortest average substitute length at just 15 minutes.

The question that begs to be asked is whether that approach is sustainable. In a winning situation against Brentford, the introduction of Will Hughes and Justin Devenney is logical, allowing the team to close out the game.

However, only Eddie Nketiah appears to be trusted as an attacking option when available.

It was encouraging to see Jaydee Canvot make a Premier League debut briefly in the right back berth, but the subsequent switch to move Daniel Munoz behind the centre forward would suggest a lack of belief in the attackers on the bench.

Thursday's Conference League game against AZ Alkmaar will likely involve some rotation, but further sustained injuries to the core squad due to overwork could disrupt an encouraging start to the season.

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The Carabao Cup quarter-final between Arsenal and Crystal Palace has been confirmed for Tuesday, 23 December at 20:00 GMT.

The other three ties will take place the previous week but this is impossible due to the Eagles' Conference League commitments.

It means Palace will play twice in three days after travelling to Leeds United in the Premier League on Sunday, 21 December.

Last week, boss Oliver Glasner labelled the football authorities "irresponsible" for allowing such a scheduling.

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Crystal Palace and Brentford at Selhurst Park.

Here are some of your replies:

Palace fans

Al: Solid and professional against a side who can be dangerous. A clean sheet and solid performances throughout. Four days to rest and then the European adventure continues. It feels good being a Palace supporter.

Stef: Palace pressure secured this game. Jefferson Lerma was the best I've seen him play and Brentford weren't allowed to get into any sort of rhythm. They have been a bogey team for us of late but they never really threatened us, despite having more possession. A very good result.

Michael: Lerma was incredible. He looks a different player with pace, accuracy and aggression. Where has he been hiding?

Jerry: Brentford don't make it easy for any team. We had to graft but a superb header from Jean-Philippe Mateta was what we needed. It wasn't the most fluid performance but it was certainly a professional one. It was our fourth game in two weeks so there were a few tired players in the last 20 minutes. It won't get any easier of course, but at this stage it's all about the results. We've had far too many draws against them in recent years, so this was very satisfying.

Brentford fans

Richard: The Bees were overwhelmed by Crystal Palace. We are in good company though, since no opposition has secured three points at Selhurst Park since February.

Paul: The Bees are a real 'Jekyll and Hyde' team at the moment. When they are good, they are good but when they are bad, they are really bad. Just when we thought we could be starting to become consistent, we throw in a performance like that! Toothless.

Joe: Watching from the stands, it looked a real lacklustre performance. Thiago looked isolated and so we never looked like scoring. Lots of little mistakes but hopefully we can learn and move on.

Pundits Alan Shearer and Ashley Williams join host Gabby Logan 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:

• Burnley 0-2 Arsenal

• Nottingham Forest 2-2 Manchester United

• Tottenham 0-1 Chelsea

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has been speaking to BBC Match of the Day after his side grabbed another home win: "It was a great win and a very important win. We are really pleased that we could win the set-play battle.

"Huge credit to the players. You could see in the last 20 minutes that their legs got fatigued, which is normal when you have such a tight schedule, but we defended very well.

"I don't know how [Jean-Philippe Mateta] got so much power on his goal and we got a bit lucky with the own goal.

"I don't always look at the table but, when you see the results, it is always very tight. We always just look at what we have to do. Today it was about showing the basics, which we did a really great job of and we scored our goals at the right moments."

Did you know?

• Crystal Palace are now unbeaten in 11 Premier League home games (W6 D5). They last strung together a longer run in league football on home soil between September 2012 and March 2013 in the second tier (18).

• Since Oliver Glasner took over in February 2024, Jean-Phillip Mateta has scored 22 Premier League goals at Selhurst Park - a haul only bettered by Manchester City's Erling Haaland in that time (23 goals).

Matthew Howarth
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Crystal Palace's 3-0 Carabao Cup victory at Anfield in midweek should have been cause for celebration for Oliver Glasner, but it meant the Eagles boss had to come to terms with the prospect of playing five games in just 11 days in mid-December.

Glasner confessed he was "really upset" at his team's fixture pile-up, but Saturday's triumph over Brentford – only their second league win of the season at Selhurst Park – will go some way to lifting the Austrian's mood.

There was little to choose between the teams in the opening 30 minutes, but Palace took control after Jean-Philippe Mateta's headed opener and could have gone into the break with a healthier advantage.

Ismaila Sarr drilled a low shot narrowly wide of Caoimhin Kelleher's left-hand post, but Nathan Collins' own goal early in the second period all but ended the game as a contest.

The visitors dominated possession in the second half but never looked like clawing their way back, despite Dean Henderson's fine one-handed stop to deny Reiss Nelson.

The 28-year-old's save earned Palace their first home clean sheet since the goalless draw with promoted Sunderland on 13 September, and helped cement their place in the top half of the table.

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

Have your say on Crystal Palace's performance

What did you make of Brentford's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Oliver Glasner makes one change to the Crystal Palace side that lost to Arsenal at Emirates Stadium in their last Premier League game.

Jefferson Lerma comes in for Will Hughes, who drops to the bench.

Crystal Palace XI: Henderson, Richards, Lacroix, Guehi, Munoz, Lerma, Kamada, Mitchell, Sarr, Pino, Mateta

Substitutes: Benitez, Uche, Clyne, Hughes, Esse, Canvot, Sosa, Devenny, Cardines

Keith Andrews fields the same Brentford team that started the 3-2 victory over Liverpool last weekend.

Keane Lewis-Potter, Fabio Carvalho and Reiss Nelson have to settle for a place among the substitutes after starting the 5-0 Carabao Cup win over Grimsby in midweek.

Brentford XI: Kelleher, Kayode, Collins, Van den Berg, Ajer, Yarmoliuk, Henderson, Ouattara, Damsgaard, Schade, Igor Thiago

Substitutes: Valdimarsson, Henry, Pinnock, Jensen, Nelson, Fabio Carvalho, Onyeka, Lewis-Potter, Janelt

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

• Brighton v Leeds

• Burnley v Arsenal - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Crystal Palace v Brentford

• Fulham v Wolves

• Nottingham Forest v Manchester United - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

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

• Liverpool v Aston Villa (20:00)

Kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Burnley v Arsenal" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Tottenham v Chelsea", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

These teams are next to each other in mid-table and it feels like they have both made positive starts to the season - they also both progressed in the Carabao Cup in midweek.

There were a lot of doubters when Keith Andrews succeeded Thomas Frank as Brentford boss - about Andrews himself and also how the team would do without Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa - but they have coped admirably.

The Bees are a very good counter-attacking team, so it is going to be fascinating to see how they get on against a Crystal Palace side who can be awesome on the break.

Sutton's prediction: 1-0

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist

Crystal Palace host Brentford on Saturday afternoon after both clubs reached the quarter-finals of the League Cup in resounding fashion earlier this week.

BBC Sport examines some of the key themes ahead of their meeting at Selhurst Park.

Battle of the long throw

Crystal Palace and Brentford meet in the Premier League following League Cup wins, although it is the Bees who are in better form in the Premier League.

Brentford, who defeated Grimsby Town 5-0 in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night, have won three of their last four Premier League matches, including a 3-2 triumph over Liverpool last weekend.

Victory against the reigning champions was the latest example of Brentford using defender Michael Kayode's battery of long-throws effectively, with one leading to Dango Ouattara's opening goal.

It is one of eight occasions that Brentford have scored a Premier League goal from a throw-in since the start of last season – at least five more than any other side.

Set-piece expertise

Focusing on such a tactic is no surprise given the involvement of Keith Andrews, first as set-piece coach and then as head coach following the departure of Tottenham-bound Thomas Frank ahead of this season.

After losing at Gtech Community Stadium last weekend, Liverpool manager Arne Slot said: "They're a very good team in winning duels and second balls and you have to give them credit for that.

"It's also difficult to win a game of football if the set-piece balance is in their favour."

And after Manchester City edged a 1-0 win at Gtech Community Stadium at the start of October, match-winner Erling Haaland said: "It was a tough game and reminded me of Stoke City with Rory Delap 15 years ago."

A meeting of similar styles

Brentford have put 47 long throws into the box, at least nine more than any other side, although second on that list is Crystal Palace.

The Eagles host Brentford after beating Liverpool for a third time this season (including on penalties in the Community Shield) to end a four-game winless run in all competitions.

Palace have lost on two of their last three league outings – the same number of defeats as in their previous 19 games combined – but their success in the Premier League this season has ben built on similar tactics to Saturday's visitors.

Only the Eagles (18) have generated more shots from throw-ins than Brentford (17) this season, while Palace and Brentford rank in the Premier League's top three teams for direct speed – meaning attacks that progress the most quickly in terms of metres gained during open play.

If similar styles should make for an intriguing contest this weekend, Brentford have got the better of the Eagles in the Premier League, achieving the league double in this fixture last season and losing only once in their eight meetings.

Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Brentford at Selhurst Park (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Chris Richards is available to face Brentford after missing the fixture against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday due to a minor calf issue.

• However, Eddie Nketiah, who started at Anfield, is out after picking up a "minor muscle injury" while Adam Wharton is still unavailable due to illness.

• More on Wharton: "He is getting better, but he had fever and we don't and can't take any risks. We have a responsibility to the players, so that means he will miss this game. Hopefully he is available for [Thursday against] Alkmaar."

• With Nketiah absent from Saturday's squad, Glasner was asked about his strength in forward areas: "Of course, from the squad, from the players who were here, Ismaïla Sarr can play up front. And we have [Christantus] Uche who can play up front, or maybe, if JP has to rest, we have to find a false nine. We tried this once in the pre-season. It worked quite well, to be honest."

• He added: "I don't see any problem with JP the next three games, and then Eddie should be back."

• Looking ahead to the Africa Cup of Nations, Glasner said: "We'll have to find solutions when the Africa Cup [of Nations] is played in December and January. It looks like we will miss Ismaila and maybe Uche for nine or 10 games. We have to find solutions and we will find one."

• Glaser is "really upset" with Palace's "irresponsible" fixture schedule in December, following their progression in the Carabao Cup, which will currently see the club play three times in five days across three competitions.

• He said: "I was really upset when I heard it for the first time yesterday. I couldn't even believe that they were considering this. I'm really upset but I spoke about this issue three months ago when I looked at the schedule. In the summer, the off-season, there are people who work on this and I would really like it if they talked together."

• He added: "It would be nice if Uefa, the Premier League and the FA talked together because it's so surprising. It would be irresponsible playing Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. It would be nice if they all talked together, this is their job, what they get paid for."

• Glasner argues that the Premier League's festive fixture programme should not have been fixed until after the quarter-final draw, in the interest of "player welfare".

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

Alex Howell
Football reporter

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The debate around when Arsenal and Crystal Palace will play their Carabao Cup quarter-final match is continuing.

The Eagles are currently facing a severe fixture pile-up with the prospect of four matches in eight days after reaching the last eight of the competition.

Oliver Glasner's side won 3-0 at Liverpool on Wednesday night and have been drawn away to Arsenal in the week beginning 15 December.

Palace are set to host Manchester City in the Premier League on 14 December, play KuPS at Selhurst Park in the Conference League on 18 December and travel to Leeds United in the Premier League on 21 December.

BBC Sport has been told by sources that the dates under discussion are 16 and 23 December, with Christmas Eve also an option.

It is understood that Arsenal's preference is to play the tie on 16 December.

The festive schedule is already extremely busy and representatives of both clubs will be aware of how crucial the recovery period is between games.

This - it seems - is the season of the set piece.

The Premier League debates are more about dead balls than ever before, with some sides enjoying immense success from corner kicks, throw ins or well-worked free-kicks.

What fine timing then for BBC Sport to launch a column with former manager Tony Pulis, a man who seemed to finely extract the fine margins from the game.

You can take in Tony's column on set pieces here

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We asked for your views after Crystal Palace knocked Liverpool out of the Carabao Cup with a 3-0 win at Anfield.

Here are some of your comments:

Crystal: It was an excellent performance. Professional and competitive. We can't be responsible for Liverpool's choice of inexperience in the squad. Palace have a small squad and still compete at all levels with three games a week on occasions.

Brian: 3-0 to Palace flattered Liverpool. Palace constantly ripped through their defence and controlled the opposition to having just one shot on target. Sure it was a makeshift Liverpool side but you can only play what's on the pitch and 3-0, against any team Liverpool can put together, is a good result.

Steve: Thoroughly deserved win against a weakened Liverpool side. Palace should have won by a bigger margin, but a win at Anfield is always something to treasure. Good to see Pino score his first goal, and Sarr with two well-taken goals. Let's hope this kickstarts another run of good results.

Stuart: Another clinical Palace game driven by Glasner's selection and working out of the opposition. Slot has a complete disregard for the cup and his own supporters by playing a B-team against Palace and with no back-up on the bench.

Image source, Getty Images

Crystal Palace fans were in jubilant mood after their side secured a comprehensive 3-0 win against Liverpool at Anfield in the Carabao Cup fourth round on Wednesday.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live on Thursday, Palace fan Dan Cook praised the team's professionalism and the control they showed after a shaky start.

"We are such a well-drilled team now and there is a real professionalism with the way we operate," he said.

"In the first 10 minutes or so, I actually thought Liverpool were going to cause us problems. But we got into our stride, and the first goal is always key, but the second, particularly, is what killed it off.

"From that point on, the second half is pretty much a formality, but you have to keep your clean sheet and remain professional, so it's a fantastic game for us."

Reflecting on recent setbacks, Cook highlighted how the result felt like a return to form after frustrating defeats by Everton and AEK Larnaca.

"If you look at the unbeaten run we had of 19 games, we ended up losing to Everton and even that, we led that game after 70 minutes and ended up conceding twice - the second of which came in stoppage time. Then we had the unexpected defeat against AEK Larnaca in the Conference League.

"So just to score two goals in the first half and get that off your back, it was a nice change of pace and then obviously to get the third and keep the clean sheet, it puts us in good spirits for this game against Brentford and if we can pick up three points there, then all of a sudden things are looking rosy in the garden once again."

Listen to BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast on BBC Sounds

Michael Emons
BBC Sport journalist

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Although Liverpool's starting 11 against Crystal Palace on Wednesday included 17-year-old winger Rio Ngumoha and 18-year-old midfielders Trey Nyoni and Kieran Morrison, the line-up also included seven full internationals.

Slot opted for three central defenders, with Scotland's Andy Robertson on the left, England's Joe Gomez in the middle and Japan's Wataru Endo on the right.

Both full-backs have also represented their country too, with left-back Milos Kerkez a regular for Hungary, while Calvin Ramsay has played for Scotland.

Palace boss Oliver Glasner felt it was "disrespectful" to suggest Liverpool had fielded a weakened team and believed his side deserved all the credit.

"It was Arne Slot's decision and we never care what other teams are doing," said the Eagles boss. "I've seen Joe Gomez play for England, win the Champions League, seen Wataru Endo I don't know how many games for Japan.

"I've seen Alexis Mac Allister, he won the World Cup as a starter, Kerkez moved for £40m, [Federico] Chiesa plays for the [Italy] national team, Ngumoha has shown he can score goals in the Premier League.

"It was still a good team and everyone is a member of the Liverpool squad. I was never good enough to be in the Liverpool squad. Maybe it was not the strongest team, but still a very good Liverpool side."