5 times Crystal Palace have soundly beaten a top team in recent seasons | Premier League 2019-20
Despite facing more lows than the highs in the last few years, Crystal Palace have established themselves as one of the most prominent giant-killers in English football of late. The Eagles have endured a tumultuous 2019-20 campaign so far, resulting in nine wins, nine draws and 10 defeats in the Premier League.
Having garnered 36 points from 28 matches, the Eagles currently stand 12th in the Premier League points table. Crystal Palace is one of the many clubs who have no Premier League title to their name. Nonetheless, Palace's record in big names is something that makes their gameplay exciting and watchable to fans all over the world.
With experienced men like Sam Allardyce and Roy Hodgson at the helm, the London side have recorded many upsets over the last few years. On that note, here are Crystal Palace's top five victories in recent years across all domestic competitions.
#5 Crystal Palace vs Arsenal (3-0) - 11/04/17 - Premier League
Crystal Palace secured a 3-0 home victory over Arsenal in April 2017 when the manager of the Eagles was Sam Allardyce, and Arsene Wenger, on the other hand, was enduring his last days as Arsenal manager.
The team which the Frenchman did field in that match was far better than that of Allardyce's one. There were likes of Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Dani Welbeck to represent the Gunners' attacking prowess, while Wilfried Zaha, Andros Townsend and Christian Benteke were leading the line for Palace.
Despite maintaining 73% possession on the ball, the North Londoners failed to open the scoreline during the ninety minutes of football. However, goals from Andros Townsend in the 17th-minute, Yohan Cabaye in the 68th-minute, and Luka Milivojevic in the 68th-minute made the difference between the two teams at the end.
The Victory indeed proved to be a pivotal one for the home side as it helped them move six points clear of the relegation zone. Consequently, Crystal Palace somehow managed to survive in England's top-tier competition, finishing the 2016-17 season in 14th position with a tally of 41 points.
#4 Crystal Palace vs Chelsea (2-1) - 14/10/17 - Premier League
When Sam Allardyce quit his job following an awful run of results at the start of the 2017-18 season, Roy Hodgson became the new manager of Crystal Palace. After losing first three games on the trot under the new boss, the Eagles stunned their fans when Chelsea faced an unpredictable 2-1 defeat at the hands of their fellow London side.
Cesar Azpilicueta's own goal at the 11th-minute of the game drew the first blood, whereas Tiémoué Bakayoko scored the equaliser seven minutes later. Wilfried Zaha, on his return from a long-term injury, gave Palace the lead for the second time in the match just before the half-time whistle.
And hence, not only did Palace break their seven-match losing streak but Roy Hodgson picked up his first win as the Eagles' manager.
#3 Manchester City vs Crystal Palace (2-3) - 22/12/18 - Premier League
Crystal Palace proved their giants-killing abilities once again in 2018-19 season when they ended Manchester City 100% winning run at home by handing them a narrow but shocking 2-3 defeat.
After falling behind from the 27th-minute strike from Ilkay Gundogan, The Eagles went on to score three goals in 19 minutes. Jeffrey Schlupp, Andros Townsend, and Luka Milivojevic were all on the scoresheet for the away side.
Kevin De Bruyne cut off the deficit with a late goal on that night, but it was not enough for the Cityzens, as the travelling side returned to London with maximum points.
#2 Crystal Palace vs Tottenham Hotspur (2-0) - 27/01/19 - FA Cup
Although the line-up was not the strongest one from Tottenham Hotspur, the 2-0 win over Mauricio Pochettino men's was one of the many memorable victories that Palace fans will cherish for a long time.
It was the FA Cup fourth-round tie between these two sides in January last year. Spurs visited Crystal Palace on the back of a Carabao Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea FC.
Against Palace, the Lilywhites produced another lacklustre performance, which saw them concede two goals inside the first forty-five minutes of the match. Despite making several attempts on the opposing goal, Spurs failed to find any answers to the goals from Connor Wickham and Andros Townsend.
#1 Manchester United vs Crystal Palace (1-2) - 24/08/19 - Premier League
Crystal Palace delivered Manchester United their first blow in the 2019-20 Premier League season in the form of a league defeat in August 2018 when Roy Hodgson's men sealed a remarkable 2-1 victory at Old Trafford.
Jordan Ayew broke the deadlock for the travelling side in the 32nd-minute of the match. Palace were stable at the back till the 89th-minute of the game when Daniel James came to score the first of the game for the Red Devils.
When the home fans inside the Old Trafford were expecting something magical from their team, Patrick van Aanholt came to save the day for the Eagles, scoring an outstanding goal in the dying minutes of the match.
United suffered their first setback in the 2019-20 campaign, and Crystal Palace retained their giant-killer reputation.