Nine matches without a clean defensive sheet
Pierre Sage has his first Premier League win. Crystal Palace beat Fulham away last night, and those three points lifted the Eagles out of the bottom three.
The French coach had been waiting since the day he walked in. Everton, then Manchester City, two defeats to open his account. Which is why this one counted twice over, in the table and in the dressing room.
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The manager who refused the victory lap
Sage made no attempt to dress it up on the BBC. “We didn’t play the way we wanted. I’m happy, but also disappointed for our opponents because they created a lot of chances.” Clear enough.
Then he went straight at the thing bothering him. “I’m not satisfied with the way we defended, there’s a lot we need to improve. But the confidence from this win can help us going forward.” Useful. Hardly comforting.
A leak he inherited
The numbers back the coach up. Crystal Palace have gone nine league matches, stretching back into last season, without once conceding fewer than two goals. That softness at the back did not arrive with Sage. He walked into it.
Against Fulham his side spent long spells pinned in. The home club carved out a strange number of chances for a team that lost. Sage has to fix that imbalance before the fixture list starts biting.
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