Tyrick Mitchell Shines as Crystal Palace Seeks Momentum
Crystal Palace arrive at the weekend with something they have not felt often in 2024: a little wind at their backs and a left wing-back suddenly playing like a headline act.
Pierre Sage finally collected his first Premier League win as Palace head coach with that breathless 3-2 victory at Fulham, then backed it up in midweek by edging past Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup. The Frenchman did not crow about either result. He rarely does. He talked instead about Fulham’s chances, about Middlesbrough’s quality, about how “the score is for us, but they played well”.
That humility has already become a theme of his short reign. The next one he wants is simple and far less romantic: two league wins in a row. Palace have not managed back-to-back top-flight victories all calendar year.
To do it, he may again lean on the most surprising of match-winners.
Defensive Transformation
At Craven Cottage, the defenders stole the script. Palace’s back line has been a problem area for months, coughing up two or more goals in nine straight league games – the worst such run in the club’s Premier League history. The numbers paint a worrying picture, one that usually ends with inquests and reshuffles.
Yet in west London, those same defenders turned from culprits into catalysts. Tyrick Mitchell, so often the quiet, diligent presence on the left, suddenly burst into colour. He scored twice – the first double of his professional career – timing his runs, picking his moments, and finishing with the composure of a seasoned forward. When he went off in the second half, his replacement, Ben Chilwell, stepped in and promptly hit the winner.
For a back line under scrutiny, that felt like a small rebellion against the narrative.
Mitchell's New Role
Mitchell’s emergence as an attacking force is particularly striking given the constraints he worked under previously. Under Oliver Glasner, he frequently had to hold his position, offering balance while Daniel Munoz tore forward on the opposite flank. Mitchell was the safety net, the insurance policy, the man who stayed when others went.
Now the handbrake looks looser. His movement at Fulham showed a player trusted to attack space, not just protect it. The timing of his bursts from deep unsettled defenders who had grown used to seeing him as a conservative option. He did not just overlap; he arrived, late and dangerous, in the kind of areas that decide matches.
Looking Ahead
Sage’s Palace are still a work in progress. The concession of chances, the stretch of games shipping two or more in the league, all of that remains a concern as Ipswich come to Selhurst Park on Saturday. Newly promoted Town arrive desperate to halt a run of two straight defeats and avoid a third, and they will have watched how easily teams have opened Palace up in recent weeks.
Yet there is a different edge to Palace now. They know they can win without dominating the ball; they have done it twice in quick succession, allowing opponents the majority of possession and still finding a way through. Sage has praised those opponents at every turn, but the scoreboard keeps tilting his way.
If he can tighten the leaks at the back while keeping Mitchell and the wing-backs flying, Palace might finally break their habit of stalling after every step forward. On Saturday, the task is clear: turn one overdue league win into a run, and prove that Mitchell’s breakout at Craven Cottage was not just a one-off spark, but the start of something more permanent on that left flank.
