Richards Continues to Perform

Crystal Palace Earn Another Victory With Richards Making Fourth-Straight Start

Chris Richards delivered another commanding defensive performance as Crystal Palace secured an impressive 2-0 victory at West Ham on Saturday, marking their second consecutive clean sheet under manager Oliver Glasner.

The U.S. international, making his fourth-straight Premier League start, was instrumental in limiting West Ham to zero shots on target throughout the match. Richards' positioning and aerial presence were particularly noteworthy, as he won 50% of his aerial duels and made four headed clearances to help nullify the hosts' attacking threats. 

Now that Trevoh Chalobah was recalled from his loan, Richards has been operating as part of a back three alongside captain Marc Guehi and Maxence Lacroix. Richards demonstrated his composure on the ball, completing an impressive 90% of his passes (52/58). His distribution from the back helped Palace maintain control of the game. One of Richards' key moments came in the second half when he made a vital block to deny Danny Ings after Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta had failed to clear a set piece.

The victory, secured through Mateta's second-half brace, extends Palace's unbeaten away run to seven Premier League games and moves them up to 12th place, now 11 points clear of the relegation zone. The clean sheet was particularly notable as it marked Palace's first back-to-back shutouts under Glasner's reign.

Richards' recent run in the team has coincided with an impressive upturn in Palace's form, with three wins and a draw from their last four matches. His consistent performances have helped solidify a defense that frustrated a West Ham attack that, despite missing several key players, still posed a significant threat on paper.