After a season of departures, public rows and waves of emotion among supporters, Crystal Palace still harbour the chance of ending their campaign with a trophy.
Captain Dean Henderson tried to brush off the surrounding noise after Palace beat Bosnian side Zrinjski 2-0 at Selhurst Park, completing a 3-1 aggregate victory to reach the Europa Conference League last 16. Maxence Lacroix and Evann Guessand scored on the night, and Henderson joked he did not understand the fuss, while stressing the importance of home support and the knockout nature of the competition.
The last 12 months have been extraordinary for the Eagles. In May they claimed the club’s first major trophy with an FA Cup win over Manchester City, then added the Community Shield in a penalty shootout against Liverpool. Yet the summer and autumn saw notable exits: Eberechi Eze moved to Arsenal, Marc Guehi left for Manchester City after interest from Liverpool, and top scorer Jean-Philippe Mateta nearly joined AC Milan before failing a medical.
Manager Oliver Glasner — widely seen as the most successful boss in Palace history — announced in January he would depart at season’s end and accused the board of having “abandoned” the squad. The remarks appeared to signal the end of his tenure, but Glasner has stayed on. Fans displayed a banner calling him “finished” before Sunday’s 1-0 win over Wolves, but the manager says he has club backing, insisting his position is secure and lamenting the “noise” that has surrounded the team.
On the pitch Palace sit 13th in the Premier League, ten points clear of relegation and only three points off eighth place — a spot that could offer another route back into Europe. Glasner points to the group’s togetherness as the reason results have held up: if players and staff believe in the coaching team, he says, that unity matters most.
In Europe Palace began the Conference League as one of the favourites and, after finishing 10th in the league phase, needed to beat Bosnian champions Zrinjski over two legs to reach the last 16. On Friday they will learn whether their next opponent will be Bundesliga side Mainz or Cypriot challengers Larnaca, who beat Palace 1-0 in October.
Henderson urged caution about predicting silverware too early — “you don’t talk about winning it three months out,” he said — but emphasised the squad’s hunger and the boost a vocal Selhurst can provide. Former Palace defender James Tomkins told TNT Sports that, from here, Palace look like favourites to progress and that adding a third trophy in two seasons would be “beyond the wildest dreams” of many fans.
The team endured a difficult spell, including a 12-game winless run from December, but have collected successive victories recently. Injury issues are easing, with Mateta and midfielder Jefferson Lerma expected back in around two weeks, strengthening hopes Palace can consolidate in the league and make a serious Conference League push.
Amid departures, criticism and headlines, Palace retain momentum on the field. The season has been chaotic — but it still has the potential to end in more historic success, and possibly the club’s first European silverware.
