Can Crystal Palace Continue to Kill Giants
Though Crystal Palace’s 100% start to the 2020/21 Premier League was burned to ashes by Everton in the final weekend of September, the Eagles have already claimed a major scalp by beating one of the so-called ‘big six’ on their own ground. It marked their second win in as many games at Old Trafford, home of Manchester United, but that is not all.
In addition to beating United in successive away meetings, Palace are already in a third season in succession in which they have won at least one league game at a stadium housing of the so-called ‘big six’ – namely Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool and the two Manchester clubs.
Within the last five years, Palace have also won at least once in any competition at all six of the teams’ grounds. Amongst the highlights of those victories are a ‘goal of the season’ contender, from Andros Townsend at Manchester City in December 2018, and a dramatic 3-2 win at Arsenal just four months later:
Curiously, despite having such significant victories to their name, Palace have been unable to get anywhere near European qualification since returning to the top flight in 2013. A number of seasons punctured by barren runs of form, particularly the seven-game losing start to 2017/18, are responsible for this.
Eagles rising to the challenge?
Moneyline betting markets for soccer events on FOX Bet will always have Crystal Palace down as massive underdogs when travelling to the grounds of ‘bigger’ teams. The prelude to their latest win at Old Trafford was no different, and after their visit to Chelsea in October, Palace will face more teams from the ‘traditional’ top six in the New Year.
With all of those fixtures taking place in the second half of the season and the possibility of supporters returning for them being at the forefront of every fan’s mind, Palace could face more of a challenge than others visiting sooner.
Arsenal – 12 January
Crystal Palace’s very first fixture of the New Year is in fact a daunting trip to Arsenal. They are currently unbeaten in two visits to the Emirates Stadium, taking four points (of six) from fixtures both producing over four or more total match goals. Prior to their 2-2 draw in October 2019, Palace had last avoided defeat in successive away matches vs Arsenal in the 1990s, across two matches separated by four years.
Even if Palace go into the new year above Arsenal, they will still be outsiders. The club has never previously gone three visits to Arsenal without losing. Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be an obvious danger having scored in three of his previous four games against Palace before the start of 2020/21. By the same point, the previous four encounters staged anywhere have finished with over 3.5 goals, with three containing over 4.5 goals.
Linked to Arsenal in the summer of 2019, Wilfred Zaha has been Palace’s most important player over the past three years.
Man City – 16 January
Though Palace were able to defy prior expectations of a defeat to Manchester United, a brutal start to 2021 will greatly test their ability to slay giants.
Just four days after the Arsenal game, the Eagles fly north for a tough game at the Etihad Stadium – another venue from which they have taken four points out of the last six available. Remarkably, they did so via the same means that prevailed against Arsenal, with a 3-2 win and 2-2 draw adding to the rich tally of high-scoring matches produced by Palace’s visits to the toughest stadia over the past two years.
There seems to be no middle ground when Palace visit City, having lost by a margin of at least three goals in five of their previous seven visits there across all competitions, conceding exactly four goals on average across those five trips. Traditionally, City seem to score effortlessly against Palace at home, but with their own defence being disgraced by Leicester in their first home match of this campaign, it seems impossible to account for Palace’s own efforts, such is their physical robustness on the counter-attack.
Shown here amongst England teammates, Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling once bagged a brace against Palace in a 5-0 win.
Liverpool – 23 May
As a finale, this fixture is a definite short straw, especially if Palace are reliant on a positive result to avoid relegation or reach a European qualification spot. Last season’s 4-0 defeat there was predictable, though no less galling, but they were famous for being the last side to win a league game at Anfield as of the end of 2019/20, memorably winning there by a 3-1 scoreline in April 2017.
Going into the final weekend of September 2020, that made Palace one of just two sides to win a league game at Anfield across the previous 90 held there, in a sequence going back to November 2015. Simply put, it seems as though Liverpool home defeats are going to be rarer than Haley’s comet under the Jurgen Klopp regime, however long it may last.
Even so, Palace still boasts a 50% win rate from their last six league visits to Anfield. Not even another supposed member of the ‘big six’ can match that over the same number of visits, and with just one goal separating the sides in the four league visits before June’s mauling, Liverpool will need to see Palace as a genuine opponent – especially if the Reds have already secured a successful title defence.
