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Crystal Palace’s Unbeaten Surge Forces Europe to Pay Attention

Credit to The Athletic for sparking this discussion, but it feels increasingly impossible to ignore the sheer scale of Crystal Palace’s transformation. What began as a quirky unbeaten run has now become something bordering on a continental statement.

Unbeaten run setting new standards

Palace’s 18-match unbeaten streak across all competitions is no accident. This sequence, which dates back to April, equals a club record from 1969. That statistic alone frames just how unprecedented this moment is for the South London side.

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Their victims are not minor scalps either. They have beaten Liverpool twice in three meetings, drawn at Arsenal, stunned Tottenham Hotspur, edged past Manchester City in an FA Cup final, and shut down Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. These are not flattering results padded out by lower-league opposition, but encounters with some of the continent’s most powerful institutions.

As one Palace supporter joked: “Chelsea held Palace, not the other way round.” It might be tongue-in-cheek, but it speaks volumes about how perceptions have shifted.

Glasner reshaping Palace’s identity

Oliver Glasner deserves more than a footnote. His Palace team are not a flash of chaos, nor simply organised spoilers. Instead, they combine meticulous tactical organisation with a bravery that unsettles even the most elite opposition.

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Arne Slot described them succinctly after Liverpool’s latest defeat: “Once again, credit to Palace. It’s not the first time we have lost to them.” Slot highlighted their mix of set-piece precision, counter-attacking sharpness and the calm discipline of a defensive unit that has conceded just 12 goals across this run.

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Pep Guardiola has also had first-hand experience of Palace’s relentlessness, their FA Cup final victory stripping Manchester City of their aura of inevitability. Palace, Guardiola admitted privately, were “a nightmare to play against.”

Talent rising to the challenge

For too long, Palace were framed as a patchwork squad surviving on scraps. That narrative now feels outdated. Their spine is formidable: Adam Wharton’s composure in midfield, Marc Guehi’s defensive presence, Jean-Philippe Mateta’s work rate, and Tyrick Mitchell’s rapid development.

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Ismaila Sarr’s dynamism stretches opponents, while others step up in decisive moments. Even in defeat, Virgil van Dijk admitted Palace had been the superior side: “If we got a draw, then it would have been one point too many for us.”

Such plaudits underline that Palace are no longer just a collective punching above their weight, but a team with genuine quality threaded through the side.

Adversity fuelling belief

This rise is even more remarkable given the obstacles thrown at them. UEFA and the Court of Arbitration for Sport demoted Palace from the Europa League to the Conference League just weeks before the season began. Then, the late sale of Eberechi Eze to Arsenal nine days before the transfer window closed could have destabilised everything.

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Instead, Palace turned setbacks into steel. Their supporters chant “Now you’re gonna believe us, we’re gonna win the league!” and while many still laugh at the sentiment, the facts demand respect. With silverware already collected in the FA Cup and Community Shield, Glasner’s team have turned a turbulent summer into an unlikely springboard.

Football is richer for these stories. In a landscape dominated by financial heavyweights, Palace’s ascent into Europe’s most resilient outfit has become a rare and refreshing narrative.

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For years, Palace have been conditioned to accept mid-table mediocrity, the occasional relegation scare, and a reliance on managers like Roy Hodgson to steady the ship. Now, we are seeing something completely different, something Palace fans have not dared to believe possible.

The unbeaten run is not about luck, it is about belief. Beating Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham was enough proof, but when you go toe-to-toe with Manchester City in an FA Cup final and come out on top, you start to think maybe the chants about winning the league are not purely ironic.

Selling Eberechi Eze to Arsenal hurt, but it has also freed the team. Glasner has built a system where no one player is bigger than the collective. Every time Adam Wharton steps into midfield with composure beyond his years, or Marc Guehi dominates aerial duels, it feels like we are watching a side that belongs at the very top level.

Fans at Selhurst Park have always provided the atmosphere, the colour, the noise. Now, the team finally matches that energy. They are not naïve enough to expect to dominate Europe overnight, but when even Virgil van Dijk admits they outplayed Liverpool, you start to think the rest of the continent should take notice.