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Joseph Charles Whitworth became the youngest goalkeeper in the English top flight since 2005 when the 19-year-old made his Crystal Palace debut during Wednesday's (March 15) Premier League game against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Palace manager Patrick Vieira had no senior goalkeepers fit enough to play against Brighton. First-choice shot-stopper Vicente Guaita picked up a late hamstring injury while back-up goalkeeper Sam Johnstone is still recovering from a calf injury.
This allowed Whitworth to represent his boyhood club in the Premier League for the first time. He is the youngest shot-stopper in the league since Ben Alnwick, who played for Sunderland against Tottenham Hotspur back in 2005.
Born in 2004, Whitworth started his career in the youth academy of AFC Wimbledon. He moved to Crystal Palace's academy in 2016 and has made his first league start seven years since joining the club's youth setup.
He first came to prominence at the age of 16 when he kept six clean sheets from 20 games in the U18 Premier League South during the 2020-21 season. He was Palace's U-23 side's first-choice goalkeeper last season where he made 23 appearances in the Premier League 2 Division 1. He kept three clean sheets along the way.
Whitworth was first seen in the league when he was on the Crystal Palace bench for the game against Aston Villa at the start of the 2022-23 season. Patrick Vieira's side won that match at Selhurst Park 3-1.
According to Transfermarkt, Whitworth's younger brother Harry is also part of the Crystal Palace youth academy. He is also an up-and-coming goalkeeper just like his elder brother.
Joe Whitworth suffers defeat on Premier League debut for Crystal Palace
Joe Whitworth did not have a fairytale ending to his league debut as his Crystal Palace side suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion. Solly March scored the only goal of the game in the 15th minute, beating Whitworth at the far corner.
If Vicente Guaita returns from injury, it is unlikely that we will see Whitworth anytime soon in the league. However, with him being just 19 years old, he has a long and bright future ahead of him.
