Crystal Palace’s 2-1 win over London rivals Fulham on Saturday saw the club record their latest Premier League away victory.
Swift counter-attacking football has been the hallmark of Palace’s away from home over the past few years, and this style was on show again at Craven Cottage as Roy Hodgson’s team won with just 35% possession thanks to goals from Jaïro Riedewald and Wilfried Zaha.
It was the Eagles’ second away win of the season, and they will be looking to win their third on Friday when they travel to Molineux to play Wolves.
The Croydon club are well suited to playing away from home and have won nine Premier League away games against the division’s ‘big six’ since May 2015 — nine more than Arsenal have managed over the same period.
Here, SWL picks out Palace’s 10 best Premier League away wins since they were promoted to the top flight back in 2013 – games where they have averaged just 29% possession across the 10 matches featured.
10. Arsenal 2-3 Crystal Palace (Emirates Stadium, London, April 2019)
Despite only having 27% possession, Palace more than matched Arsenal and bettered their will to win.
Palace went in ahead at the break thanks to a headed first-half goal from Christian Benteke, but Mesut Özil levelled for Arsenal early in the second half.
Benteke then turned provider for Zaha as Palace restored their lead on the hour mark before doubling their advantage 20 minutes from time through James McArthur.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang pulled one back for Arsenal on 77 minutes, but they couldn’t find an equaliser as the visitors held on to earn their eighth away win of an extremely impressive season on the road.
It was the Eagles’ first win at Arsenal for 25 years.
The victory took Palace past the magic 40-point mark and mathematically secured their Premier League status for another season.
9. Leicester City 1-4 Crystal Palace (King Power Stadium, Leicester, February 2019)
Leicester City have been one of the Premier League’s stand out teams since Brendan Rodgers took over at the King Power Stadium 20 months ago.
Rodgers got the job after Claude Puel’s side lost 4-1 at home to Palace, which culminated in the French boss losing his job.
Chelsea loanee Michy Batshuayi opened the scoring five minutes before half time with his first goal for Palace.
The 2016 Premier League champions came out with more energy in the second half and levelled the scores when Jonny Evans turned in the equaliser 25 minutes from time.
Palace finished the game strong though, scoring three goals in the last 20 minutes of the contest — a brace from Zaha either side of a Luka Milivojević penalty ensured three points for the away side in emphatic fashion.
With just 35% of the ball and just seven shots compared to Leicester’s 27, Hodgson’s side made their chances count and it reflected in the scoreline.
On a day when Hodgson became the oldest man to manage in the Premier League at 71 years and 198 days, the former England boss made his experience count as a Palace win condemned Puel to the sack.
8. Liverpool 1-2 Crystal Palace (Anfield, Liverpool, November 2015)
Liverpool have lost just six out of their last 90 Premier League matches under Jürgen Klopp, but his first defeat as Liverpool manager came in just his fourth league game in charge.
This was against Palace as Alan Pardew recorded his second win at Anfield in the space of six months.
It was a game in which Liverpool dominated the ball, but their shrewd opponents carried a real threat on the counter-attack.
Yannick Bolasie opened the scoring 20 minutes in when Liverpool failed to clear Zaha’s low driven cross into the box as Emre Can’s clearance only fell as far as the DR Congo international who smashed the ball home.
Brazilian Philippe Coutinho levelled shortly before half-time, but Palace soaked up second half pressure from the hosts before Liverpool-born defender Scott Dann headed in the winner on 82 minutes.
7. Everton 2-3 Crystal Palace (Goodison Park, Liverpool, April 2014)
In May 2013, Palace regained top flight status for the first time since being relegated from the Premier League back in 2005, winning the Championship play-off final 1-0 against Watford.
But after just one win and nine losses in their opening 10 Premier League games of the 2013/14 season and manager Ian Holloway having lost his job, Palace were rock bottom and looked doomed.
Tony Pulis’ appointment in November changed it all as the south London outfit began picking up points.
In their final 28 Premier League matches of the season, the Eagles managed 12 wins under Pulis which helped them soar above the relegation zone.
The pick of these wins came against Everton at Goodison Park in April 2014, a win which confirmed they retained top flight status for the first time in Premier League history. Palace were relegated from the Premier League after just a single season in the top flight in 1992/93, 1994/95, 1997/98 and 2004/05.
Jason Puncheon gave his side the advantage midway through the first half, and five minutes into the second half Dann doubled Palace’s lead.
Steven Naismith pulled one back for Everton after an hour, but Cameron Jerome restored Palace’s two goal cushion 13 minutes later.
Kevin Mirallas made it 3-2 five minutes from time, but it was too little too late as Everton’s nine game winning streak at Goodison Park came to an end courtesy of a gutsy away performance from Palace.
6. Manchester United 1-2 Crystal Palace (Old Trafford, Manchester, August 2019)
The Eagles added Old Trafford to their list of Premier League away day conquests last August in a spirited performance where for much of the game they had their backs against the wall.
After a steady first half hour where Palace settled into the game well, Jordan Ayew raced in behind the Red Devils’ defence to open the scoring, latching onto Jeffrey Schlupp’s headed flick-on.
Manchester United piled on the pressure in the second half, and when Dan James scored in the 89th minute, the home side were the ones pushing for a winner.
In doing so, they were punished as Palace launched a counter-attack through Benteke who found Zaha on the left-hand side.
Zaha was dispossessed by his former teammate Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the penalty area, but Wan-Bissaka’s tackle ricocheted into the path of Patrick van Aanholt who took the ball in his stride and drilled home low and hard past David de Gea in the United goal.
It was a real smash and grab performance from the away side, who recorded their first victory over United in the Premier League era and their first league win at Old Trafford since 1989.
5. Liverpool 1-2 Crystal Palace (Anfield, Liverpool, April 2017)
On a sunny afternoon in Merseyside, a key game at both ends of the table took place.
Liverpool were looking to put daylight between themselves in third and the Manchester clubs in fourth and fifth, and Palace were aiming to steer further clear of the relegation zone.
Liverpool looked to be on course to end their hoodoo at home against Palace when Coutinho’s superb free-kick gave Liverpool the lead midway through the first half.
Just before the break though, former Liverpool striker Benteke, sold to Palace by Klopp in 2016, levelled the scores.
It was all to play for in the second half, but it was Palace who took the lead 15 minutes from time when Benteke doubled his tally.
The result meant Palace took a giant step towards safety and recorded their third consecutive Premier League win at Anfield.
Sam Allardyce had proved his sound top flight managerial credentials again, taking over a club in the bottom three at Christmas and guiding them to safety.
Palace finished the 2016/17 season in 14th place with 41 points, and victory at Anfield was the game which all but confirmed their survival.
4. Chelsea 1-2 Crystal Palace (Stamford Bridge, London, August 2015)
Less than four months on from winning the title which was secured after a 1-0 home win against Palace, Chelsea were condemned to their second defeat of the season after just four matches of the 2015/16 season by the same opponents.
The champions were left frustrated for large parts of the game against a Palace team who defended rigidly in two banks of four.
Chelsea were even more frustrated on 65 minutes when Bakary Sako drove in Bolasie’s low cross as the flying winger set up his teammate 10 minutes after his introduction as a substitute.
The Blues were level 15 minutes later when one of their substitutes also made an instant impact as new signing Radamel Falcao headed home just 13 minutes into his Chelsea debut.
Chelsea’s joy was short-lived though as Joel Ward headed in the winning goal less than two minutes after Falcao had equalised.
It was a well-deserved win for the away side against the odds.
3. Manchester United 1-3 Crystal Palace (Old Trafford, Manchester, September 2020)
Following their involvement in the Europa League, United’s first game of the season was delayed a week.
Going into the opening fixture of the 2020/21 campaign, Palace were off the back of an extra three weeks rest than their opponents, and in the early phases of the contest it was evident that one side looked far fresher than the other.
The hosts had no answers to the visitors’ aggressive press as Palace kept winning the ball back high up the pitch in the opening exchanges.
They made their superiority count early on when Andros Townsend gave them the lead after just seven minutes.
United began to see more of the ball as the half wore on, but Palace always looked a danger on the break and they could have gone in more than 1-0 up at half time.
The pattern of the game continued in the second half, and when Palace were awarded a controversial penalty they had the opportunity to double their lead.
Ayew’s spot-kick was saved, but Zaha dispatched the re-take as VAR replays shown that de Gea was just off his line when he stopped the first one.
United’s new signing Donny Van De Beek halved the deficit five minutes later, but five minutes after that Zaha was United’s tormentor-in-chief once again as he made it 3-1.
United had 76% of the ball, but in truth they looked jaded while Palace were excellent and fully deserved the three points and their second win in the space of 13 months at Old Trafford.
2. Chelsea 1-2 Crystal Palace (Stamford Bridge, London, April 2017)
After winning 19 of their previous 22 Premier League matches, drawing two and losing just one going into their home game against a relegation-threatened Palace side, Chelsea looked to be closing in on their second Premier League title in the space of three years.
It looked as though it would be another routine day at the office for Antonio Conte’s team when Eden Hazard set up Cesc Fabregas to score the opening goal after just five minutes.
But five minutes later, Chelsea were 2-1 behind as two goals in two minutes from Zaha and Benteke turned the game on its head.
Palace put up a resolute defensive performance for the next 80 minutes to shut out Chelsea.
After drawing first blood, the Blues couldn’t find a way through the sea of yellow that crowded out their attacking third.
On April Fool’s Day, Allardyce’s men certainly messed up a few accumulators across the country.
1. Manchester City 2-3 Crystal Palace (Etihad Stadium, Manchester, December 2018)
In the 2018/19 season, Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering Manchester City retained their Premier League crown.
They scooped up 98 points in the process, scoring 95 goals and conceding just 23.
The Citizens’ imperious home form was a big reason as to why they ended up winning the title as they won 18 home games out of a possible 19 in the Premier League.
The only home game they failed to win was against Palace as Hodgson was handed the ultimate Christmas present by his players — a win at the home of the Premier League champions.
Ilkay Gundogan put City in the lead on 27 minutes, but Schlupp equalised five minutes later.
Shortly after Schlupp’s goal, Townsend struck with a thunderbolt volley and goal of the season contender from 30-yards out.
Milivojević’s penalty then made it 3-1 early in the second half to put the visitors in a commanding position.
Substitute Kevin De Bruyne made an impact for City when he entered the fray for the last half hour, but his late goal proved only a consolation as Palace held on to secure the shock result of the 2018/19 season, remarkably winning the game with just 21% possession and scoring with their only three shots on target.
