Perhaps less predictable, however, was the fact that both of the Eagles’ goals were scored by members of their back line.
Trevoh Chalobah and Marc Guéhi are both more commonly associated with preventing goals than scoring them – the former had 10 previous strikes in 196 senior appearances to his name before Saturday, and the latter seven in 184.
But both centre-backs demonstrated the instincts of a predatory centre-forward to steer home the ball following a set-piece routine, netting crucial goals for their side.
Indeed, according to our records it was the first time two centre-backs had scored for Palace in the same league game since James Tomkins and Scott Dann did so, in a 4-1 win against Stoke at Selhurst Park in September 2016.
But for which Palace centre-backs in the Premier League era did that goalscoring feeling become something of a habit?
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Step forward Scott Dann who, after signing from Blackburn Rovers in January 2014, went on to score an impressive 13 times for Palace in 164 Premier League appearances – or 16 in 181 in all competitions.
