Following on from the club’s highest-ever finish the previous season – third in the old First Division, with a remarkable 20 wins from 38 league matches – a high bar had been set by Steve Coppell and his side.
In truth, injuries to key squad members such as John Salako, plus the sale of top scorer Ian Wright to champions Arsenal in September – the forward having expressed his desire to play European football, at that time only awarded to the top two sides – curtailed a hefty amount of that momentum.
While an up-and-down campaign yielded a midtable finish, the 91/92 season was not without its highlights, principle among them a league double against the previous season’s runners-up, Liverpool.
The first leg of that feat came, of course, at Anfield in November 1991, when Coppell’s team – who had won six of their opening 13 matches prior – stunned Merseyside by overturning Glenn Hysén’s header at the end of the first-half.
That comeback came courtesy of a first league goal in Palace colours for new signing Marco Gabbiadini – assisted with a low ball in by a certain Gareth Southgate – and a bullet header by Geoff Thomas from a corner.
Fast forward several months, then, and with Palace having won just three times in 19 matches between the two meetings, as form continued to fluctuate and signings took time to settle, Liverpool made the long journey to SE25 for the return fixture.
With the Reds’ line-up featuring the likes of Jamie Redknapp, John Barnes and Ronny Rosenthal – plus Jan Molby and Ian Rush coming off the bench – Palace and the Selhurst crowd did what they do best: pressured the opposition into submission.
Hassling and harrying, Liverpool’s attacking reserves found little space in which to work as a Palace side dented by injuries picked up a fourth win in five games against their visitors.
Admittedly, Young’s winning goal in the 39th minute was a fortunate one: a long ball forwards caused panic in the Liverpool box, and there was Palace’s No. 5 to reach out a long leg and pull the ball through goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar’s legs, before sliding it home.
But Palace still needed to hold firm in the face of second-half pressure, goalkeeper Nigel Martyn keeping their lead intact with a fine save from Rush.
“There can’t be many teams over the past decade who have done the double over Liverpool,” Coppell smiled afterwards – in stark contrast to Liverpool boss Graeme Souness’ refusal to attend the post-match press conference.
Palace went on to win three and draw two of their remaining eight games that season, concluding the campaign in 10th – and, with it, ensuring they would be among the 22 founder members of the new FA Premier League in the 1992/93 season.