Crystal Palace's Tyrick Mitchell during the warm up before the match
Crystal Palace Tyrick Mitchell came in for criticism from reporter Alex Crook during the club’s Premier League defeat to Arsenal on Sunday.
The Lowdown: Still no win
The Eagles travelled to the Emirates with Paddy McCarthy in temporary charge following Patrick Vieira’s dismissal on Friday. He couldn’t manage a first win in 2023, though, with the Gunners running out 4-1 winners.
First-half goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka put Mikel Arteta’s men in total control at the interval, with Granit Xhaka and Saka again scoring in the second half. Jeffrey Schlupp did pull a goal back for the Eagles, who remain just three points clear of the relegation zone.
The Latest: Mitchell criticism
Crook took to Twitter during the first half, saying that Palace ‘might need to untie’ Mitchell at half-time, with Saka ‘twisting and turning him all over the place’.
Shortly after when Saka doubled Arsenal’s lead, Crook then said:
‘Right on cue Saka plays a lovely one-two with Ben White before firing home left-footed’.
The Verdict: Afternoon to forget
It was always going to be a tough afternoon for Palace, especially Mitchell who was coming up against an in-form Saka. The Palace left-back, like his defensive teammates, struggled to contain Arsenal throughout.
As per SofaScore, Mitchell gave possession away on 13 occasions and ended with a match rating of 6.2/10 on the full-time whistle, the lowest score of any Palace defender. He made just two tackles and failed to make an interception or complete any of his attempted crosses or long balls in what was his 28th appearance of the season in all competitions.
You’d expect that Palace officials will now be looking to finalise a managerial appointment relatively quickly, who will have time to work with Mitchell and the squad ahead of a crucial home meeting with Leicester City.
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