Crystal Palace were left furious with themselves recently after throwing away a 2–0 lead to lose 3–2 to Burnley at Selhurst Park, a collapse that unfolded in a frantic burst before half-time and gave Scott Parker’s side a rare and much-needed lift in their survival fight.
Palace looked comfortable early on and had the perfect start, with Jørgen Strand Larsen scoring twice on his home debut to put the Eagles in complete control, but Burnley found a way back through sheer urgency and capitalised on Palace’s sudden loss of composure, scoring three times in seven minutes to flip the match on its head.
The opening half hour belonged to Palace. They played with speed down the sides, attacked the box earlier than they have in recent weeks, and fed Strand Larsen quickly whenever he peeled into space.
His first goal was a striker’s finish—arriving ahead of his marker and converting from close range—and his second was even more emphatic, punishing Burnley’s hesitation with a clean strike that had Selhurst believing Palace were finally about to end a frustrating run. Burnley looked stunned at 2–0 and were seconds away from heading into half-time with damage limitation being their only realistic objective.
Instead, the game detonated. Burnley’s first goal came when Hannibal Mejbri took advantage of a loose sequence around the box, reacting sharply and firing past Dean Henderson to make it 2–1. Palace then completely lost their grip. Jaidon Anthony levelled soon after, exploiting space that had not existed earlier in the half as Palace’s shape stretched and communication broke down.
The third—arriving before the interval—was the moment Palace will replay in disbelief: a ball into the six-yard area caused panic, Henderson came but didn’t claim, and Jefferson Lerma ended up diverting it into his own net under pressure. In the space of a few chaotic minutes, a routine-looking Palace lead had turned into a deficit, and the atmosphere in the ground shifted from celebration to disbelief.
The second half was understandably tense and scrappy. Palace tried to reset, pushing their full-backs higher and committing more bodies into attacking areas, but their confidence looked shaken and Burnley grew into a defensive rhythm, blocking shots and defending their box with increasing stubbornness.
There were flashes—Palace had a couple of dangerous deliveries that Burnley scrambled clear, and late pressure forced corners and hopeful balls into the area—but the clear chances were rarer than Palace needed. Burnley, meanwhile, looked threatening on the counter, using the pace of their wide runners to relieve pressure and slow Palace’s momentum at key moments.
After the match, Oliver Glasner did not hide his anger at the way Palace lost control, describing the defeat as self-inflicted and pointing to a lack of leadership and calm once Burnley scored their first. He praised Strand Larsen’s impact but made it clear the result was unacceptable given the position Palace had created for themselves, stressing that his team “helped” Burnley back into the match by making poor decisions and losing focus in decisive phases.
Scott Parker, by contrast, called it a huge moment for his squad, highlighting the mentality shown to keep pushing at 2–0 down and crediting the response as a sign his players haven’t given up on staying in the division. He also noted that Burnley’s intensity—particularly the way they attacked second balls and committed numbers forward—was exactly what they’ve been demanding from themselves all season.
For Palace, it was another reminder that good starts mean little if game management disappears. For Burnley, it was the kind of comeback that can change a mood inside a dressing room—proof that belief and aggression can still produce results, even in a season that has often felt like an uphill slog.
