Fulham 2-3 Crystal Palace: Tyrick Mitchell's double sinks winless Cottagers
Fulham led 2-1 at the break through Josh King and César Palacios, but Tyrick Mitchell's second goal of the afternoon and a late Ben Chilwell strike gave Pierre Sage his first win in charge of Crystal Palace. Fulham 2-3 Crystal Palace leaves the Cottagers still without a point after three games.
Josh King put Fulham ahead in the 11th minute, and even after Tyrick Mitchell equalised for Crystal Palace on 35, César Palacios restored the home side's lead three minutes before half-time. Fulham went in 2-1 up at Craven Cottage and looking like they had finally found their first win of the season.
Mitchell had other ideas. His second goal of the afternoon levelled it again early in the second half, and Ben Chilwell — celebrating his return to Crystal Palace — struck the winner in the 77th minute to complete a 3-2 comeback. It is Pierre Sage's first victory since taking charge of the Eagles.
A game Fulham should have won
Fulham finished with 25 total shots to Crystal Palace's 10, 64.4% of the possession, and an expected-goals figure of 3.13 — comfortably the busier, more threatening side by the underlying numbers. None of it mattered: the Cottagers are still without a point after three matches, while Palace leave with their first win of the campaign.
Match facts
- 11' — Josh King (Fulham)
- 35' — Tyrick Mitchell (Crystal Palace)
- 42' — César Palacios (Fulham)
- 54' — Tyrick Mitchell (Crystal Palace) — equaliser
- 77' — Ben Chilwell (Crystal Palace) — winner
| Stat | Fulham | Crystal Palace |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 64.4% | 35.6% |
| Total shots | 25 | 10 |
| Shots on target | 6 | 5 |
| Passes completed | 602 (88.8%) | 297 (78.8%) |
| Corners | 7 | 1 |
| Fouls conceded | 6 | 7 |
| Offsides | 1 | 6 |
Sage's fast start
The win at Craven Cottage was the first of Pierre Sage's Crystal Palace reign, and it came early in a rebuild at Selhurst Park. Palace were searching for a new manager after Oliver Glasner chose not to renew his contract, and turned to Sage, agreeing a compensation package worth around €5m with Ligue 1 side RC Lens to release him mid-contract. Sage had just delivered Lens' first major trophy in their history, the Coupe de France, and signed a deal at Palace running to 2029. He had also coached Lyon before his spell at Lens, but Selhurst Park is his first job in English football. Like Glasner before him, he builds his teams from a back three, the shape Palace used to come from behind at Fulham.
Ben Chilwell's role in the comeback added a personal thread. The left-back first joined Palace on loan from Chelsea in February 2025, and his 77th-minute winner at Craven Cottage came in his first season back at the club after rejoining on a permanent deal — the goal that got his new manager's Palace career up and running with three points.
Diverging form since
It was Fulham and Crystal Palace's only meeting of the season, and the archive has no earlier fixture between the pair to weigh a head-to-head record against. The sides have since taken different paths. Fulham followed the defeat with back-to-back goalless draws, at Liverpool and at home to Manchester United, and sit 19th on two points from five games — the division's joint-lowest tally, with five goals scored and eight conceded. It is the same story as that afternoon at Craven Cottage: plenty of the ball and plenty of shots, not enough of it turning into points. Crystal Palace's form has been steadier without repeating that comeback: a 2-3 home defeat to Ipswich Town and a scoreless draw at Leeds United leave Sage's side 15th on four points, six goals for and eleven against — outside the relegation zone, but just one point above 18th-placed Coventry City.
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