Pierre Sage will take encouragement from Crystal Palace’s performance against Leeds, particularly given the demands placed on his squad. The Eagles had played in the Europa League on Thursday and had three fewer days to prepare than their opponents, while nine of Thursday’s starters were named in the starting XI again.
Despite that disadvantage, Palace maintained their energy throughout the match. The opening stages produced limited opportunities, with Adam Wharton and Tyrick Mitchell both seeing efforts deflected and comfortably dealt with during the first half.
Palace’s strongest period arrived shortly after the interval. They created opportunities and applied pressure, but could not find the finish required to turn their spell of dominance into a goal.
There was a concern that Palace could suffer another late setback after conceding at the end of last weekend’s 3-2 defeat by Ipswich Town. Leeds won a dangerous deep free-kick during stoppage time, but Palace dealt with the delivery by heading it clear and secured a deserved point.
The result leaves Sage’s side 15th in the table with four points from five games. However, the overall display should give the manager confidence that Palace can make progress up the standings after the international break.
