'A great step forward' - Adam Wharton hopes Lech Poznan rout can kick-start Crystal Palace's season

Palace dominated the Polish side with three first-half goals at Selhurst Park, scored by Yeremy Pino, Chris Richards, and Jorgen Strand Larsen. Late in the game, Radoslaw Murawski's red card reduced the visitors to ten men, paving the way for Eddie Nketiah to score a fourth goal. The comfortable 4-0 victory is Palace's biggest win in European football.

Palace have endured a difficult start to the 2026-27 season, sitting 16th in the Premier League after managing just one win and three defeats from four games. That poor domestic run made Thursday's European win feel like a turning point for Wharton and his team-mates.

Speaking to TNT Sports about finding their rhythm under Sage, the midfielder explained: "There's still a lot to work on, still early days, lots of new signings. We are trying to gel as fast as we can. It has been a slow start but tonight was a great step forward. There were still some moments where we could be tighter at the back, but definitely a step in the right direction."

Asked about adjusting to the manager's aggressive tactics, he added: "The manager is very attack-minded, he wants us to get high up. In training, we work on those patterns and I think there were a few good moments where we played one-touch play, and it is good to see that starting to gel. When you are on the front foot, you get the crowd behind you as well and on nights like these, getting the crowd behind you helps. It pushed us on."

Reflecting on how their previous Conference League campaign prepared them for nights like this, he noted: "Last year was completely new for a lot of the players. It is a different game to the Premier League, a different intensity. In this, it is sometimes a bit more tactical. Coming into this season with the experience from last season is only going to help us."

The emphatic win was just as significant for Strand Larsen, who took his tally to four goals in six games this season after stepping up to take a high-pressure spot-kick.

Relieved to get off the mark from 12 yards after missing his previous two penalties for club and country, the forward told TNT Sports: "When you miss two [penalties] in a row you have to smack it in. It was a risky one, it was going a bit higher than I expected. I enjoyed it. Yeremy is my brother. Maybe he deserved to take it, but I needed one after missing two.

"We all just want to show ourselves to the fans. When it works, it works really well. We could have won this game by more. We had Sunday's game in the back of our minds."

Palace must now turn this European momentum into league points after last weekend's painful 3-2 defeat against newly promoted Ipswich Town. Sage needs his players to show the exact same attacking confidence on Sunday to steer clear of an early relegation scrap. Securing a win this weekend would lift the mood around Selhurst Park before the season pauses for the international break.