Mitchell's brace and Chilwell's late volley flip Fulham 3-2 for Palace's first win
Crystal Palace came from 2-1 down at Craven Cottage as Tyrick Mitchell scored twice and substitute Ben Chilwell volleyed a late winner to hand Pierre Sage his first Premier League victory.
Every rebuilt squad needs the afternoon when the plan visibly clicks. For Crystal Palace and new boss Pierre Sage, it arrived on Saturday at Craven Cottage — a 3-2 comeback win over Fulham, their first of the Premier League season, sealed by a substitute's volley with Thomas Tuchel watching from the stands, according to Yahoo Sports.
Fulham's fast start
The hosts looked the sharper side early. Nineteen-year-old Josh King opened the scoring on 11 minutes with a left-footed strike, and after Tyrick Mitchell levelled on 35, César Palacios restored Fulham's lead just before the break with his first Premier League goal. Fulham had 60% of the ball and 13 shots by half-time, per Football Web Pages' match data, and a 2-1 lead that looked deserved.
Palace turn it around
The second half belonged to the visitors. Mitchell — a left-back with a striker's weekend — equalised on 54 minutes for his brace, and Palace's bench then decided it: Ben Chilwell came on and volleyed the winner into the bottom corner late on. Yahoo's player ratings made Mitchell man of the match, with half-time substitute Jørgen Strand Larsen credited with giving Palace the attacking focal point they had lacked.
What it means
For Sage, whose revamped squad absorbed 11 summer additions per Yahoo Sports, this is the result that buys a new project time — and the manner of it, chasing a game away from home, matters as much as the points. For Fulham, the frustration is the shape of the afternoon: ahead twice, on top for 45 minutes, and still winless. Teams that dominate halves and lose matches tend to find September table positions harsher than their performances.