‘If Pirlo does that, the world is stopping’ – Joe Cole hails Adam Wharton’s ‘beautiful little pass’ in Crystal Palace win over Tottenham Hotspur
Published 06/03/2026 at 11:39 GMT
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Joe Cole compared Adam Wharton to midfield icon Andrea Pirlo after the Englishman’s "beautiful little pass" for Ismaila Sarr’s second goal in Crystal Palace’s 3-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League. Wharton clipped the ball through two defenders into the path of Sarr, who tucked the ball past a helpless Gugliemo Vicario to put Palace two goals to the good.
‘If Pirlo does that, the world is stopping’ – Cole in awe of ‘superb’ Wharton assist
Video credit: TNT Sports
TNT Sports pundit Joe Cole compared Adam Wharton to midfield icon Andrea Pirlo after his "beautiful little pass" in Crystal Palace’s 3-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur.
Wharton clipped the ball expertly through two Spurs defenders into the path of Ismaila Sarr, who was able to poke it past a helpless Gugliemo Vicario to score Palace’s third goal seven minutes before half-time.
It was Wharton’s second assist of the game, after also finding Jorgen Strand Larsen for the second goal as Palace inflicted yet more misery on a Spurs side who are seemingly spiralling towards the Championship.
Cole almost ran out of superlatives for Wharton’s performance but hailed his second assist in particular and compared him to Italian legend Andrea Pirlo as a result.
Cole said: "I love this, this was the moment of the game for me, because this into him, receive on the back foot and the vision to just float it in there, that is superb.
"If Pirlo does that, the world is stopping."
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Spurs fans WALK OUT before half-time after Sarr nets third for Palace
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Fellow TNT pundit Peter Crouch added: "It was beautiful actually the way he found space for that, and it was a great pass into him.
"But the weight on that, he teases [Joao] Palhinha, and he teases Vicario to come out and Sarr just gets there in front. It was perfection."
Wharton’s performance was so good it got Cole purring about him potentially replicating it in the summer, with a spot on the plane in the England World Cup squad secure, the ex-West Ham and Chelsea attacking midfielder believes.
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He continued: "I would take him but there are so many good players now. Elliot Anderson is probably a touch ahead of him, obviously Declan Rice is in there.
"You take him with that quality because you can transcend to any place in the world. If he is playing against Argentina or Spain, and he can deliver that quality, he will always be able to deliver it, and it was just a beautiful little pass."
‘What a player’ - Strand Larsen hails Wharton
The Norway forward has proven a good addition to the Crystal Palace squad with three goals in his first five appearances since joining from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the January transfer window.
The 26-year-old is already striking up a rapport with Wharton and told TNT Sports that when the midfielder gets onto the ball, Larsen makes a run.
"What a player. I think when he is on the ball, make a run, and he will find you. He made those two passes look really easy today, but they are not," he said.
"When he gets the ball I am on my way, it is just about timing it. I saw the goalie coming out a bit, so I tried to put it under his legs."
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‘What a player’ - Strand Larsen hails Wharton assists in Palace win at Spurs
Video credit: TNT Sports
Wharton himself was humbler, not taking all the credit and putting at least some of the goal down to the pace of Sarr.
Palace and England fans alike will be excited by his plans to keep improving, with a performance like the one against Spurs just the tip of the iceberg for Wharton, who puts himself down as his harshest critic.
He said: "No it [the assist] was alright to be fair!
"I thought it was maybe a little bit too far, but it is probably a good thing that it was Ish [Ismaila Sarr] on the end of it, because he is very quick, so great to get it, but three points is massive.
"We’ve been on a good run of scoring in consecutive games recently, we had a sticky patch and goals weren’t coming so easily, and now they are starting to come in more frequently, which is great for the attackers.
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‘The Prem is crazy this year’ – Wharton sets out targets after Palace win at Spurs
Video credit: TNT Sports
"It gives them more confidence, and it is great for the team because if they are scoring, it is helping us.
"There is a lot of room for improvement, definitely. I am the first to critique myself after games and there is a lot to work on.
"It is never perfect, but I am just trying to work every day with the gaffer and the team and, hopefully, I can keep improving and helping the team."
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