Crystal Palace Player Ratings: 4/10 'Slacking' but 'Bright Spark' 8 in Leeds United Bore Draw
By Toby Bryant, Senior Sports Journalist. Published 15th March 2026, 16:08 GMT.
Crystal Palace saw a Jefferson Lerma goal ruled out for offside in a goalless draw with Leeds United, who held on despite being reduced to 10 men in the first half. The Eagles continued to lack personality in this Premier League clash, marking their second consecutive scoreless outing after last week's Conference League match against AEK Larnaca.
The match presented a golden opportunity for Crystal Palace after Gabriel Gudmundsson received a second yellow card and was sent off in the first half. However, Oliver Glasner's side failed to capitalize on their numerical advantage, which was the second gift of the day following Dominic Calvert-Lewin's early penalty miss.
The single point moves Crystal Palace to 39 points, just one away from the magical tally of 40 that typically secures safety from relegation battles. Here is a detailed breakdown of how each Eagles player performed in this lackluster encounter.
Crystal Palace Player Ratings
GK - Walter Benitez, 6
A clean sheet in his first Premier League appearance for Crystal Palace represents a job well done for Benitez. He did not have to work excessively hard for it and was undoubtedly relieved to see Dominic Calvert-Lewin fire wide from the penalty spot. However, he had a hairy moment in the first half when positioned too far back in his goal, only just catching the ball before it crossed the line.
LWB - Tyrick Mitchell, 6
Mitchell created one of the Eagles' better moments with a first-time cross into the box during the first half. He aimed to provide much-needed width but required more supporting runs from his teammates to be truly effective.
CB - Chris Richards, 6
Richards was a little unconvincing when dealing with some of Leeds United's balls into the box. He did well to block Calvert-Lewin when the striker was slotted through after the break, taking a significant clattering for his efforts.
CB - Maxence Lacroix, 6
Facing the physical challenge of Calvert-Lewin was not easy, but Lacroix was largely up for the test this afternoon, holding his ground in defense.
CB - Jaydee Canvot, 7
Canvot played with a lot of passion, which stood out in an otherwise dull performance. He infuriated some Leeds United supporters online by celebrating the red card, but overall, it was a positive showing from the 19-year-old.
RWB - Brennan Johnson, 7
Johnson worked hard in the wing-back role, fulfilling his defensive duties while still influencing some attacking moves. He did not look like a natural defender, eventually receiving a yellow card for a mistimed tackle after the break.
CM - Will Hughes, 7
Hughes was fortunate to see Dominic Calvert-Lewin waste a penalty chance after giving it away with an outstretched arm. He was one of the few players trying to accelerate the ball movement in the second half before being substituted.
CM - Jefferson Lerma, 4
Lerma saw plenty of the ball but did very little with it, contributing to a performance that lacked personality. He briefly appeared to come alive when firing home a header in the second half, following up alertly, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
CAM - Evann Guessand, 8
Guessand was the brightest spark in a pretty dull Crystal Palace side today. Lively from the start, he caused Leeds United real problems with his enthusiastic closing down and played some neat passes in the opposition third. If anything positive was going to happen for Palace, it likely would have been thanks to Guessand.
CAM - Ismaila Sarr, 5
Sarr's most important contribution was winning the foul that led to Leeds United being reduced to 10 men. However, he did not seem inclined to run at a depleted Whites side afterward and was sloppy in some of his passing.
ST - Jorgen Strand Larsen, 4
Larsen was very quiet, though he was not given much to work with. He could have been more lively to get on the end of a decent Tyrick Mitchell cross in the first half, but the first-time ball caught him slacking.
Subs - Jean-Philippe Mateta (3), Adam Wharton (7), Yeremy (4), Daichi Kamada (4).
In other news, a La Liga boss linked with Crystal Palace and admired by Chelsea star Marc Cucurella has dropped hints about his future.
