Crystal Palace shared a goalless draw with West Ham United at Selhurst Park, and Maxence Lacroix was the calmest figure on the pitch. The center-back earned a Sofascore Rating of 8 after a complete 90 minutes built on clean decision-making and sharp positioning. He didn’t just keep things tidy. He repeatedly bailed Palace out in key moments.

Defensive wall at Selhurst Park

Lacroix led the back line with 8 clearances, including a vital goal-line clearance that kept the clean sheet intact. He added 1 block and 1 interception, reading passes early and stepping in at the right time. There were few second chances left for West Ham inside the box.

He also recovered possession twice and limited errors in his own third. It was the sort of steady performance that makes a 0-0 feel like a job well done for a defender.

Command in the air and on the deck

Palace’s No. 5 won 5 of his 6 duels overall and was strong in the air, taking 4 of 5 aerial duels. That presence meant West Ham rarely profited from crosses or long diagonals. When the ball went high, Lacroix usually met it first.

He stayed switched on through stoppage time too. The numbers match the eye test here, with smart positioning turning into repeat first contacts.

Calm distribution and useful progression

With the ball, Lacroix completed 64 of 73 passes, striking the right balance between safety and progression. He went 53 of 55 in his own half and 11 of 18 in the opposition half. Long passing wasn’t his main route, finishing 1 of 4, but he still made play tick.

He also carried the ball 29 times for 218 meters in total carry distance, adding 174 meters of total progression. One key pass and an expected assists value of 0.0071 hint at the occasional forward step when space opened.

How it fits his season at Palace

The clean sheet slides neatly into a season profile built on reliability. In Premier League 25/26, Lacroix has started 30 matches with an average Sofascore Rating of 6.92 and 11 clean sheets. He has 219 clearances, 52 tackles and 39 interceptions so far, plus 103 aerial duels won at a 61% success rate.

There is end product sprinkled in too. The French defender has 1 goal and 2 assists this season and 2 Team of the Week appearances. His proposed market value sits at €43m, which reflects how central he is to Oliver Glasner’s setup.

Why Palace fans will like this one

A goalless draw can be forgettable, but not when your center-back puts together this kind of shift. Lacroix’s mix of aerial control, last-ditch awareness and accurate passing gave Palace stability from first whistle to last. He kept the box clean, handled direct play and helped Palace reset possession without fuss.

For more match-by-match data, heat maps and live Sofascore Ratings, fans can track Lacroix and Crystal Palace throughout the Premier League season on Sofascore.