Kenya
Nigeria
Ghana
South Africa
United Kingdom
United States
India
Tanzania
Uganda
Zambia
Cameroon
Ivory CoastPierre Sage Frustrated as Crystal Palace Stumble in Lyon
Crystal Palace suffered a 3-2 loss to Lyon, leaving manager Pierre Sage angry with his squad's poor first half performance.
Palace Suffer Defeat in Lyon
Crystal Palace came up short in France, falling to a 3-2 defeat against Lyon in the Europa League. The loss was a painful return for Palace boss Pierre Sage, who was sacked by the French side in January 2025 after a 14 month spell in charge.
The home side took full control during the early stages. Corentin Tolisso opened the scoring, and Ernest Nuamah doubled Lyon's lead late in the first half. Palace failed to record a single shot on target before the break, leaving them with an uphill battle.
Second Half Rally Comes Up Short
Palace responded quickly after the restart. Yeremy Pino scored five minutes into the second half to cut the deficit in half. Lyon pushed back when Pavel Sulc restored their two goal advantage. Daichi Kamada came off the bench to score late, but that strike proved to be only a consolation.
The result ended Palace's momentum following a 3-1 home victory against Nottingham Forest at Selhurst Park on Sunday. Sage had asked for more consistency from the Conference League winners, but his team gave away goals too easily on Thursday night.
Sage Questions Palace Standards
Sage expressed clear annoyance with the team's display during the first 45 minutes. Speaking after the final whistle, he said the squad was really far off expectations in both tactics and mentality, pointing out that players struggled against opponents between their lines. He stressed that a team cannot win by playing only one half.
Sage added that he could take no pleasure from seeing familiar faces in Lyon without a result. He admitted there was a big difference in how the two teams played, explaining that conceding the third goal ruined their chance to rescue an equaliser.
What it means for the next game
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Crystal Palace (Premier League, Sun, 18 Oct): Brighton & Hove Albion win 61%, draw 22%, Crystal Palace win 17%; expected goals 2.01 to 0.96. Our safest pick: Brighton & Hove Albion or Draw.
Besiktas vs Crystal Palace (Europa League, Thu, 22 Oct): Besiktas win 59%, draw 22%, Crystal Palace win 19%; expected goals 2.03 to 1.06. Our safest pick: Over 1.5 goals.
Where to go next
On this site
Note: we do not get paid for any link on this page.
Predictions for these teams
Best bets
Brighton & Hove Albion
Crystal Palace
BesiktasCrystal PalaceCrystal Palace
Newcastle UnitedBe the first to comment
Tell us who you think wins and why. Keep it friendly. Links are removed on their own.
Note: comments are the writer own opinion, not ours, and never a tip from us.
