Crystal Palace came back from two goals down to salvage a draw against Leicester City at Selhurst Park in their Premier League clash last weekend. Leicester took a 2-0 lead in the first half, but a Michael Olise inspired comeback helped Crystal Palace secure a point.
The rising pressure on Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira to give new signing Michael Olise a chance paid off, as the 19-year-old led the Eagles to a stunning comeback against Leicester. Crystal Palace completed the signing of attacking midfielder Olise from Reading in July on a five-year contract. Olise enjoyed a fine season for Reading, making 46 appearances in all competitions and scoring seven goals. He also won the EFL Young Player of the Season award. He has been limited to cameo appearances since signing from Reading in the summer due to injury, but when he came off the bench in the 54th minute, he made an immediate impact by scoring an outstanding goal. Olise is an elegant playmaker who looks capable of providing Palace with the creative spark they are missing in the absence of the injured Eberechi Eze.
Let’s take a look at what the stats have to say:
Michael Olise came on in the 53rd minute of the match and it didn’t take him long to create an impact. He scored his first goal for Crystal Palace within eight minutes with a sublime shot. Olise then played a vital part in Jeffrey Schlupp’s equaliser. It was his initial ball into the opposition box that caused the danger, providing Schlupp with the chance to score the equaliser for his team. Olise made two appearances previously but both those appearances were for a very short time and he was not able to create any impact. Olise had a high xG of 0.47 in the 42 minutes he had on the pitch. He attempted three dribbles and took four touches inside the penalty box. Olise also helped the team defensively as he completed five recoveries.
Olise came on in place of Jordan Ayew on the right flank as seen in the above heatmap. He was present on the right flank throughout and also helped out his right back as he tracked back the Leicester full-backs. He also switched wings at times to put pressure on the opposition defence.
The young attacker attempted three shots on the goal and all three efforts were taken from positions inside the penalty area. Olise made smart runs into the penalty area and got into threatening positions to attempt a shot on the goal.
Olise not only impressed with his efforts on the goal, but also created an impact with the ball at his feet. He attempted three dribbles to get into threatening positions on the right flank and put in crosses with a high expected threat. He attempted one through ball and one smart pass in the game, which also had a very high xT. The pass made by Olise also led to the second goal for Crystal Palace and helped them earn a point.
Patrick Vieira has had a sweet history with impact substitutes now. It was Odsonne Edouard impressed when he was brought on against Spurs, and this time it was Michael Olise and Jeffrey Schlupp who worked their magic to secure a draw at home and continue their unbeaten run at Selhurst Park. It was an extremely promising showing from the ex-Reading forward, Michael Olise, who is yet to start a game for the Eagles due to an injury. He’ll now surely be hoping to make his first start for the club after his heroic showing against Leicester City.
