Five things we loved from Palace’s Turf Moor win

First-team

5 Nov 2023

Jeff Schlupp and Tyrick Mitchell fired Palace to three points and sent the travelling fans home from Turf Moor happy yesterday - here are five of our favourite things from a successful trip on the road.

Tyrick makes it two

Two for Palace – but two for Tyrick, too (try saying that one five times fast).

A second goal for the Academy graduate in Palace colours, and a first in front of fans. Mitchell’s only other goal for the club came against Aston Villa in 2021, but during a behind closed doors game at Selhurst Park.

“You wouldn’t think [it was only his second goal] with that finish!” said Schlupp after the game. “We get on him a lot to get more involved with the attacking play, to get some assists and some goals and he’s taken that on board and done that today with a great finish.”

Sam Johnstone revealed that he had missed the first as he was barking instructions at his left-back.

Mitchell's last Palace goal came in 2021.

“I was looking for [Tyrick] as an option to clip it to him and he wasn't in position,” Johnstone laughed. “I kind of missed the goal because I was too busy telling him to get on the touchline but it worked out well!

“T's a great player, great lad and he deserved [his goal]. “I don't know what he was doing on the edge of that box, to be honest, at the end! Look, he got up there and got the goal. He put it in the bottom corner.

“It’s great news for him, brilliant. And to be fair, it just settled the game. Like I said, we were under pressure. We had 1-0 and 2-0 just killed it off right at the end.”

Golden Glove?

Johnstone was a busy man all afternoon, saving decisively in quick succession from Josh Brownhill and Jay Rodriguez as Palace looked to keep their lead intact.

His clean sheet means he moves to the top of the standings in the race for the Golden Glove, awarded each season to the ‘keeper who keeps the most clean sheets in the Premier League.

Can he go all the way and top the pile?

“Look, it’s nice, but there’s a long way to go,” he said of his position as the league’s best goalkeeper so far this season. “It's great to keep clean sheets.

“It gives you a real good base to go on and win the game like today. We keep going every game to win and if I pick up a clean sheet along the way, it's a bonus.”

Come on, Sam. We believe in you.

Practice makes perfect

It’s always speculated what footballers really say to one another as they shield their mouths from the cameras. In this instance, it turns out the answer was simple: Jeff Schlupp and Jordan Ayew were plotting how to win Palace three points.

Schlupp revealed the dastardly plan in his post-match interview, after prodding home from close-range via Ayew’s delivery.

“We literally spoke before game,” Schlupp said. “He said: ‘Just make sure you come in at back post and I’ll look for you.’

“As soon as I saw him win ball back and run into the box I just put my head down and just literally ran towards back-post, hoping he would pull it across and he did. I just gambled and it managed to be the perfect ball.

“I just thought to put my head down, trust Jordan to put it across box and he did. We managed to get the timing right and it was perfect.”

Back with a bang

It wouldn’t be a suitable return for Ebere Eze without an assist, would it?

The Palace No. 10 came on just before the hour-mark as he made his long-awaited return to Premier League action, and sure enough he made sure he had an impact, setting up Tyrick Mitchell for the decisive second goal.

The Palace fans were sure to let Eze know how much they had missed him, serenading the England international from his first warm-up jog down the touchline to his final wave as he left the field.

Back where he belongs.

Top-half on track

Three points saw Palace move into the top-half of the Premier League table, and with the return of Ebere Eze and the imminent full fitness of Michael Olise a further boost, there is plenty of ambition to make Palace’s berth a permanent one.

The Eagles face Everton at Selhurst Park next weekend – six points out of six to head into the international break anyone?

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