Pierre Sage and Alvaro Arbeloa began their Saturday in much the same place.

Winless, pointless, and just beginning to wonder if they had made a mistake in taking a long-term lease on a London flat.

‘El Sackico’ in the first weekend of September? Not quite. Not yet.

But Sage and Arbeloa will both have been desperate for a win to give them lift-off, after inauspicious starts to daunting tasks in following Oliver Glasner and Marco Silva at Crystal Palace and Fulham respectively.

In the end it was Sage who got his wish. And through the unlikeliest of sources.

Fulham had taken the lead twice – through Josh King and Cesar Palacios – but both times saw it cancelled out by Tyrick Mitchell. The full back had managed just four goals from his first 209 Premier League games, then came up with two in 54 minutes.

The second was a shambles of a goal to concede from Fulham’s perspective, a Gonzalo Garcia clearance going only as far as Mitchell’s boot, then the Spaniard failing to deal with the danger again as the ball travelled sedately towards goal.

With both teams chasing a win, Ben Chilwell delivered it. The former Chelsea and England man had only been on the pitch for a few minutes when the ball rebounded to him in the box and he volleyed accurately into the far corner. 

Some way to reintroduce yourself to the Palace faithful, days after the former loanee rejoined the club from Strasbourg.

This was an entertaining game, end-to-end from start to finish and with both goalkeepers called into action relentlessly. It could have gone either side’s way.

Unfortunately, that will do little to help Arbeloa’s prospects. ‘I’m very confident (in my position),’ he insisted at full time, after boos rang out around Craven Cottage. ‘We lost a game we didn’t deserve to lose.

‘We knew this month was going to be very tough but I told my players, this month will not define our season. The players are giving everything and with this mentality and character I’m sure the victories will come.’

Don’t get too settled in London just yet… 

Ben Chilwell was the unlikely hero for Crystal Palace at Craven Cottage, scoring the winner just a few minutes after coming on as a substitute

This was a big game for both Alvaro Arbeloa (left) and Pierre Sage – but the Palace boss won out 

Proactive Sage changes the game

Sage’s side were far from abject in the first half here. Bernd Leno had a busy day in the Fulham goal, and Palace were good value for Mitchell’s first equaliser – a driving run into space down the left flank, and a powerful finish at Leno’s near post.

But their lack of a proper front man was obvious.

Teams like Palace, especially away from home, need a No 9 they can play up to – one that can win duels, hassle defenders, and link up play. Eddie Nketiah is not that man.

That is not to say he is without any good qualities. But when Nketiah found himself competing with Fulham centre back Calvin Bassey, that competition was embarrassingly one-sided.

No wonder Sage hooked Nketiah for the bulkier Jorgen Strand Larsen at half-time. The Norwegian was much more effective than the man he replaced.

Though Palace didn’t create bundles more chances in the second half, they carried far more of a threat when they went on their forays forward. 

It was one of two key substitutions from Sage, to go with match-winner Chilwell. He deserves credit for making those changes, especially the proactive introduction of Strand Larsen. 

‘The mindset of the team in the first half was very low,’ said Sage later. ‘We changed it in the second. It was a good thing because we need confidence and points to work more with less pressure.

‘I was honest with the players at half-time and spoke with the players who made a mistake. I said we needed bravery. 

‘It’s important we have “petrol”, and our petrol is a victory.’ 

With Jean-Philippe Mateta expected to be out for another three weeks, it’s safe to assume Strand Larsen will get the nod going forward. 

King beats out Wharton in Tuchel audition

Thomas Tuchel was among the onlookers here at Craven Cottage. One assumed it was to cast an eye on Adam Wharton.

Wharton is a Rolls-Royce of a player. He runs Palace’s midfield. But this was not his best game.

It was his failure to deal with a cross that led to Fulham’s opener. Wharton appeared a little off it physically at times, beaten in footraces on several occasions.

‘He didn’t touch the ball in the first half, because we were really bad offensively,’ admitted Wharton’s boss Sage. ‘These players can have the worst half of their life in the first half and the best in the second half because they’ve got so much talent.’ 

But if Tuchel may have been underwhelmed with what he saw of Wharton, he will have been thrilled with King’s display.

Josh King celebrates putting Fulham in front on an impressive afternoon for the 19-year-old

Thomas Tuchel was among the guests at Craven Cottage and will have been delighted with what he saw from King

The 19-year-old opened the scoring – albeit with the help of a big deflection – after showing some tidy footwork on the edge of the box.

He was at the heart of Fulham’s second too, selling Chris Richards a dummy before spinning past him, leaving him in his wake before playing the ball which led to Palacios’ goal.

‘He’s a massive player for us, a very good player,’ said Arbeloa. ‘He has everything – talent, ambition… he’s so important for us. I’m so happy for him.’ 

The teenager has long been regarded as an extraordinary talent at Fulham, but his game appears to have gone up a notch this season.

King was said to have impressed England coaching staff when away at the Three Lions’ pre-World Cup camp in the US. He certainly will have impressed Tuchel today.