To mark Palace’s decade in the Premier League – a record for the club in the top-flight – we’re looking back on each of our campaigns in detail before the beginning of the next chapter…
The Eagles will begin the 23/24 campaign with an away match against newly-promoted Sheffield United on Saturday, 12th August, before welcoming Arsenal to Selhurst Park on Saturday, 19th August.
Ahead of domestic football’s return, let’s look back at some of Palace’s finest hours – another season of ups and downs...
After finishing in 11th place in the season prior, an unbeaten pre-season campaign ahead of 2018/19 paved the way for the Eagles to get off to a great start.
New recruits in Jordan Ayew, Vicente Guaita, Cheikhou Kouyaté and Max Meyer also bolstered each part of the side ahead of a trip to Craven Cottage on the opening day.
A 2-0 win against Fulham got Palace off to the perfect start, with Jeffrey Schlupp’s first goal for the club opening the 18/19 account. Victory against the Cottagers would prove to be just one of two wins before December, however.
The second victory came against Huddersfield, thanks to a wonder-strike from Wilfried Zaha which was nominated for Goal of the Month. With two wins in 16 games, the Eagles found themselves in a precarious position.
December was pivotal for Palace, they had a run of seven games in the month to break the poor run of form. A comfortable 2-0 win against Burnley, off the back of a draw at Old Trafford, saw the side move up the table.
Defeats away against Brighton & Hove Albion and West Ham United were quickly cancelled out by a win at Selhurst Park against Leicester City and a sensational 3-2 triumph at the Etihad, where Andros Townsend scored the Premier League Goal of the Season.
The winger fired a first-time volley, after the ball looped out towards him, from 25-yards out and found the back of the net past a helpless Ederson. He described it as “the best strike of his career.”
A draw against Cardiff and a narrow defeat against Chelsea saw the Eagles conclude the calendar year in 14th place, despite the poor run of form early on in the campaign.
The new year began with a last-gasp victory at Molineux, along with a win against Grimsby Town in the FA Cup third round. Palace eventually made it to the quarter-finals of the tournament, losing to eventual finalists Watford.
Palace went on a strong run from February through to mid-April, winning six games from 12 – including a remarkable 2-3 win at the Emirates Stadium against Arsenal, our first victory away from home against the Gunners in 25 years.
Two wins from the last two games in May saw the Eagles sign off 18/19 in style. A 3-2 win against Cardiff in the penultimate game of the campaign saw the Bluebirds relegated, and an eight-goal thriller against Bournemouth (5-3) at Selhurst concluded the season.
The south Londoners finished in 12th place, ahead of Newcastle, Southampton and Brighton & Hove Albion.
Position: 12th
Top scorer: Luka Milivojević (12)
Most appearances: James McArthur, Luka Milivojević and Andros Townsend (38)
Clean sheets: Vicente Guaita (8)
