Crystal Palace captain Adam Wharton described the 4-0 victory over Lech Poznan as an important step forward, while stressing that the team still has work to do as new players continue adapting to one another.
Wharton said Palace are trying to build cohesion quickly and acknowledged that there were still moments when the defence needed to be more compact. He also pointed to the attacking ideas being developed in training, including the one-touch combinations that began to appear during the match.
The midfielder added that Palace’s forward approach helped generate a strong response from the Selhurst Park crowd. Reflecting on last season, he said the experience gained from playing in Europe should benefit the squad, given the tactical and intensity differences compared with Premier League football.
Wharton also played down thoughts of an England call-up, although he admitted it would be a pleasing reward. With Palace facing matches every three days, he said his focus is currently on the club’s fixtures and that there will be further international opportunities during the season.
Jorgen Strand Larsen explained that he felt he needed to take responsibility from the penalty spot after missing his previous two attempts. He described the successful effort as a risky strike and said Yeremy, whom he considers a brother, may have deserved to take it. Larsen added that Palace could have scored more and had Sunday’s match in mind during the performance.
The result continued Palace’s strong European record at Selhurst Park. They have now avoided defeat in their last seven home European matches and kept four clean sheets in their last five such games. Palace were also three goals ahead at half-time for only the third time in the past decade, following earlier Premier League occasions against Norwich City in December 2021 and West Ham United in April 2024. Their latest penalty success was the eighth in a row across all competitions, excluding shootouts, since Jean-Philippe Mateta’s miss against AZ in the UEFA Conference League in November 2025.
