Palace's 2024 Wrapped: The best games, goals & moments

Greatest games

We’re going to start with an element of recency bias – but it somehow feels justified...

Sunday, 15th December: Palace were seeking a first win in seven matches against Brighton & Hove Albion, who had made a strong start to the campaign and were undefeated at home this season – up to that point.

What ensued was a superb counter-attacking performance from the Eagles, who defended wonderfully throughout – and whose offence was lit up by the unplayable Ismaïla Sarr.

Not only was our eventual 3-1 win Brighton's first league defeat at the Amex under Fabian Hurzeler, but it was also our biggest win over our rivals since a 3-0 win in December 2012.

Go on then – let’s watch it again…

Beyond that, it’s hard to look past the Eagles' run between Sunday, 14th April and Sunday, 19th May.

In the final 35 days of the season, Palace defeated five teams who had competed in Europe that season (Liverpool, Manchester United, West Ham United, Newcastle United and Aston Villa), beating them by an aggregate score of 17-2.

Perhaps the pinnacle? That 4-0 win over Manchester United under the Selhurst lights. Majestic.

Six wins in seven matches to round off the Premier League season secured Palace just their second top-half finish in the competition.

The numbers spoke for themselves: four straight home wins for the first time in the Premier League (and for the first time since 1990/91); a joint-biggest Premier League win (5-0); and a joint-highest Premier League points tally (49).

Palace not only broke their record for the most goals scored in a Premier League season (netting 57 times), but smashed through their record tally in a top-flight campaign, previously set back in 1992 (with 53).

On the final day of the season, Jean-Philippe Mateta became the first man since Yannick Bolasie in April 2015 to score a Premier League hat-trick for the club; his treble in the 5-0 win over Aston Villa was our first-ever home Premier League in Palace's history (and first in the top-flight since Mike Flanagan's in October 1980).

The Eagles only failed to score in just seven league matches in 2023/24, another club record in the top-flight, and a figure not matched since 1987/88 when they were in the second tier.

As for this season, an honourable mention for our first three points of the campaign: at home to Tottenham Hotspur in October, a 1-0 win which could have been by many more, but still featured plenty of iconic Selhurst Park scenes.

Greatest goals

Our 2023/24 Goal of the Season winner remains delightful watch – and it just so happened to be the match-winner at Anfield, too.

Back in early April, at the culmination of 21 slick passes, a fabulous team move saw Adam Wharton find Michael Olise, who slid Tyrick Mitchell in behind. The left wing-back picked his head up and found Eze, who slotted home from six yards.

It was the perfect team goal, famously prompting an inaudible “wow” from Jürgen Klopp in the home dugout – and, amidst fierce competition in one of the most spectacular reels in years, was a fitting winner of the club’s Goal of the Season prize.

There were also pearlers aplenty in our January 3-2 win over Sheffield United – Eze and Olise netting one apiece – and our April win over West Ham United, with the former netting a spectacular bicycle kick en route to a crushing victory.

Just three days after that, Jeffrey Schlupp appeared to take Palace’s 1-0 deficit at Fulham personally – blasting an incredible late effort into the top corner from distance to secure his side a draw.

And this season, Eze has been at it again – but on this occasion with an assist: the most imaginative of flicks to tee up Mateta for that aforementioned winner against Spurs.

Greatest moments

For sheer emotion? Maybe Daniel Muñoz's first Crystal Palace goal – a 94th-minute equaliser against Newcastle United which raised the roof at Selhurst Park, and had even manager Oliver Glasner sprinting down the touchline to join in the celebrations.

The milestones began at pace for Palace this season, for it was on 30th August, 1924 – 100 years ago – that Selhurst Park formally opened ahead of hosting its first-ever football match, when Crystal Palace faced off against The Wednesday in Division Two of the Football League.

We’re continuing to celebrate the anniversary throughout this season with our special collectable programme covers, whilst we marked it more formally ahead our first home game of the season against West Ham with the introduction of Phoenix – a young American Bald Eagle – to the crowd.

Elsewhere, we recorded our 150th Premier League clean sheet on Boxing Day against Bournemouth, and our first appearance in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals since the 2012/13 season, following a brilliant 2-1 win away at Aston Villa.

It was even a momentous year away from SE25, with Palace players aplenty in European Championship, Copa America action, and even Summer Olympics action.

Marc Guéhi became the first-ever Crystal Palace player to feature in a European Championship final, but despite doing his country proud – as he has done throughout the entire tournament – glory evaded him and England with a late 2-1 defeat to Spain in Berlin.

Palace teammates Eze – who featured three times at the tournament – Henderson and Wharton were also involved for the Three Lions, making Palace the team which provided the most players to Gareth Southgate’s selection this summer.

At the Copa America, Jefferson Lerma and Daniel Muñoz both played regularly – and indeed scored important goals, the former in the semi-finals against Uruguay and the latter in the group-stages against Brazil – as Colombia reached the final, falling to Argentina.

Matt Turner and Chris Richards also featured for the United States on home turf.

Meanwhile, Mateta's Olympic Games ultimately ended in the disappointment of a defeat in the Gold Medal match, despite the forward scoring  in the final– but his silver medal still saw the forward make club history as the first Palace player to win an Olympic medal whilst with the club.

The Frenchman, playing for his country for the first time in five years, struck five times – and wore the captain’s armband on numerous occasions – to create scenes his nation, and Palace fans, will remember for many years to come.