Adam Wharton expressed his delight at returning to action in Crystal Palace’s 2-1 win over West Ham United on Saturday, after a brief spell on the sidelines.
The 20-year-old midfielder had been out since sustaining an injury at Villa Park just before the international break, forcing him to miss Palace’s first two fixtures in September and withdraw from England U21 duty. But after being declared fully fit by head coach Oliver Glasner, Wharton slotted straight back into the starting XI at the London Stadium — and wasted no time in making his presence felt.
“It felt good,” Wharton told Palace TV after the match. “That’s all I want to do — just play football. That’s what I’ve been working towards over the last few weeks: getting fit, being ready, and making sure I can help the team when needed.”
Wharton played a central role in a hard-fought contest in East London, dictating the tempo in midfield and helping Palace take early control.
“I thought we found the pockets well, especially in the first half,” he said. “Daichi [Kamada] and Yeremy [Pino] were getting into good positions — we probably just lacked the final pass. But overall, there were a lot of positives. Apart from that one chance at the end of the first half from a transition, we managed the game well.”
The hosts pulled level in the second half through Jarrod Bowen, and Wharton admitted he could have done more to prevent the goal.
“I should’ve done better for their goal — that was poor from me,” he said candidly. “But even after we conceded, we stayed confident. We always believe we can create chances and get back into games.”
That belief was rewarded not long after, when Tyrick Mitchell fired Palace back in front with a powerful right-footed strike — a moment Wharton had a hand in during the build-up.
On Mitchell’s goal, Wharton joked: “Swing and a hit! He deserves it, honestly. He doesn’t get the credit he should. Defensively, you hardly ever see a winger go past him, and he’s solid nearly every game. So it’s great to see him get that moment — and thankfully, he connected well!”
With Palace continuing their strong form, Wharton says the team is brimming with belief.
“We’re confident at the moment,” he added. “We know we’re always in the game — and that comes from how hard we work every day.”
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