Chilwell scores on Crystal Palace return in 3-2 win over Fulham
Crystal Palace secured a 3-2 victory against Fulham, with Ben Chilwell scoring on his return to the team. The Eagles twice came from behind in the match. Chilwell rejoined Palace on a free transfer from Strasbourg on Tuesday, having previously been on loan there from Chelsea during the latter half of the 2024-25 season.
Chilwell entered the game as a substitute for Tyrick Mitchell, who scored Palace’s first two goals. Within three minutes of his introduction, Chilwell capitalised on a loose ball after Fulham failed to clear an attack from Pierre Sage’s side, striking it into the net.
Match Overview
Fulham initially took the lead early in the first half through a deflected shot from Josh King. However, Mitchell quickly equalised for Palace with a close-range effort. Cesar Palacios then scored his first goal for Fulham since his summer transfer from Real Madrid, giving Alvaro Arbeloa’s team a lead at halftime.
Mitchell levelled the score for a second time at the beginning of the second half. He pounced on a defensive error by the hosts, whose attempt to clear his initial shot resulted in the ball trickling into the net. This victory marks Sage’s first win as Palace’s head coach, having taken over from Oliver Glasner during the summer.
For Fulham, this loss extends their streak to three consecutive league defeats since the arrival of former Real Madrid manager Arbeloa. Fulham, along with newly promoted Coventry City, are among the first two teams this Premier League season to have played three matches and lost all of them.
Fulham’s initial fixtures have been challenging, including a home game against Chelsea and back-to-back encounters with Europa League participants, Sunderland and Palace. Similar to their opening weekend derby defeat against Chelsea, Fulham scored twice but conceded three goals that were described as largely avoidable.
Defensive Concerns and Upcoming Fixtures
The situation for Fulham appears set to remain difficult, with an upcoming trip to Anfield to face Liverpool next weekend. Following that, they will host Manchester United in their final league match before the international break. At the final whistle, there were expressions of discontent from some fans directed at Arbeloa. With three defeats and seven goals conceded in their first three games, the team, which was predicted by many to be at risk of relegation in pre-season, faces a challenging period.
Despite conceding goals, Palace’s wing-backs demonstrated their attacking capabilities. Mitchell and Chilwell’s goals highlighted that the team can still find goals from these positions, following the departure of Daniel Munoz, who joined Nottingham Forest. Munoz had scored four league goals in each of the previous two seasons from the right wing-back position.
All three of Palace’s goals showcased a determination to push forward from deeper positions, although Fulham’s defence was noted as lacking. Mitchell’s first goal came after he was put through by Eddie Nketiah, and he opted to shoot past Bernd Leno. His second goal, his first career double, involved further attacking play where his initial effort was blocked, but he intervened again to score.
Chilwell, who replaced Mitchell with less than 20 minutes remaining, continued the attacking output. After a shot from summer signing Anan Khalaili was blocked, Chilwell followed up to convert and secure the three points for Palace. Both goalscorers were acknowledged by the visiting Palace supporters at full-time.
While Palace are scoring, they have also been conceding goals. This match marked the ninth consecutive league game in which Palace have conceded at least two goals, indicating that Sage has yet to resolve the defensive issues that emerged towards the end of Glasner’s tenure. Despite starting the season with two defeats and facing a potential third at halftime, Palace showed promise as they embark on a season that includes Europa League football.
Fulham have won only two of their last 13 Premier League matches against Crystal Palace, with both victories occurring at Selhurst Park in the 2022-23 and 2024-25 seasons. Crystal Palace, after losing their first away Premier League game at Fulham in 2004-05, have remained unbeaten in seven subsequent visits to Craven Cottage, securing four wins and three draws.
Fulham is aiming to avoid losing three consecutive Premier League London derbies for the first time since April 2023, having previously lost 3-0 to Arsenal in May and 3-2 at home to Chelsea on the first matchday of this season. Crystal Palace has won six of their last 10 away London derby matches in the Premier League, matching their total from the previous 44 such games.
Fulham’s season began with a 3-2 loss to Chelsea and a 1-0 defeat to Sunderland. They have only lost their first three top-flight games in 1951-52 and 2020-21, both seasons in which they were relegated. Crystal Palace, following a defeat to Manchester City in their previous match, is looking to avoid losing their opening three Premier League matches of a campaign for the first time since 2017-18.
Crystal Palace has conceded at least two goals in each of their last eight Premier League matches, a streak they have never extended to nine consecutive league games in their history. Alex Iwobi was in contention to make his 100th Premier League appearance for Fulham in this match. Having played 123 times for Everton and 100 times for Arsenal, he would become the fifth player to achieve 100 or more appearances for three different clubs in the competition, joining a list that includes Gary Speed, Rory Delap, Gareth Barry, and James Milner. Fulham’s Gonzalo García has made 29 off-ball runs behind opponent defences this Premier League season, a figure surpassed only by Bryan Mbeumo (39) and Kai Havertz (31). Crystal Palace manager Pierre Sage had lost his first two Premier League games in charge of the club, and he had not previously lost three league games in a row in his managerial career.
In another Premier League fixture, Brighton drew with Leeds. Leeds, who remain unbeaten after three games, had taken the lead through Jayden Bogle’s early goal. Brighton’s Luka Vuskovic scored with a header with 19 minutes remaining to secure a point for his team. Brighton managed 17 shots after halftime in that match.
Leeds manager Daniel Farke noted that a point away at Brighton was positive given their recent record there, but felt more was possible. Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler commented on the team’s improved intensity and energy in the second half. Leeds had not won a game at Brighton since 2009. Bogle’s goal was the first Leeds had scored in nine visits to Brighton, dating back to November 2012.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin had multiple chances for Leeds in the first half, including one where his shot was stopped on the goal line by Lewis Dunk. Anton Stach also had opportunities, and a goal by Ao Tanaka was disallowed for offside. Brighton, who had averaged over 70% possession in their first two league games, again had the majority of possession but took nearly an hour to convert it into effective attacks. Vuskovic’s headed goal came from a corner delivered by Maxim De Cuyper.
Source: bbc.com
