Israeli Defender Anan Khalaili Earns First Premier League Clean Sheet

Israeli defender Anan Khalaili achieved his first Premier League clean sheet of the season as Crystal Palace drew 0-0 with Leeds United on Saturday. Khalaili, starting in defense, contributed to the team's fourth point of the season by completing 26 of 38 passes, recovering 11 balls, and making four long passes, though he was beaten defensively four times.

A goal for Palace was disallowed due to an offside call involving Khalaili. He played a pass that reached Eberechi Eze, who scored, but the play was flagged for offside. The Yorkshire Evening Post described the offside call as "borderline," questioning whether Khalaili was indeed offside or if the VAR considered an intervening player's influence. English media noted Khalaili's good performance but suggested room for defensive improvement, while also stating he fits the team's system and that Leeds was fortunate regarding the offside incident.

Khalaili expressed his satisfaction with the team's performance, stating, "We can be proud of ourselves. We created a lot of chances, and that's a good thing." He added, "I believe in Palace, in that we are progressing and in my teammates. We will do great things together. I am very happy to be here. London is one of the best cities in the world, I am enjoying it very much. I am happy I came specifically to Crystal Palace."

Sky Sports' William Bitibiri commented that Palace "showed exactly what was missing" and was close to a win, playing disciplined football and pressing Leeds effectively. Manager Patrick Vieira stated, "We deserved to win. We conceded fewer chances than in the previous game, the disallowed goal makes sense if there was offside. It's a bit disappointing, but the players gave a lot in this game."

The draw moved Crystal Palace above the relegation zone with four points, ahead of Aston Villa and Tottenham. Their next match after the international break is against Nottingham Forest. Khalaili received ratings of 6.7 from SofaScore, 6.3 from Flashscore, and 6.2 from 365.