Classic Palace Clash: Crystal Palace 2-1 Manchester City

Our return to the Premier League in 2013 yielded some incredible moments, yet some of those nights under the lights at Selhurst Park remain among the most special. Crystanbul immediately comes to mind, as does Pardew’s first home match in charge when we beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1.

Yet this night against Manuel Pellegrini’s Sky Blues perfectly embodied the siege mentality that Palace had conjured up following our return to the top flight. Although the atmosphere at Selhurst Park remains one of the noisiest in the division, the decibel levels must have reached unprecedented heights in south London during some of those high-profile fixtures in our early Premier League years.

When the Holmesdale Fanatics occupied the corner of the famous stand in Block B and Kayla the Eagle swept across the pitch from one crossbar to the other, it genuinely felt as though Palace offered a matchday experience unlike any other. Even if the bright green Neteller branding plastered around the stadium was undeniably bizarre.

On this famous night, the Citizens simply couldn’t cope with it.

The departure of Neil Warnock following a 3-1 home defeat to Southampton on Boxing Day 2014 saw the two-time Palace boss leave with the club in the relegation zone. Interim manager Keith Millen oversaw back-to-back goalless draws away at Queens Park Rangers and Aston Villa to steady the ship before the New Year.

Meanwhile, Steve Parish was working to bring Pardew back to Selhurst Park following the end of his spell at Newcastle United. From that point onwards, the south Londoners never looked back, climbing from 18th to 11th by the time City visited the capital.

Palace won six of their first ten league matches under Pardew, banishing immediate relegation fears and ensuring the Easter Monday clash with Manchester City could be approached with a degree of freedom.

And free-flowing they were.

The famous front three that had helped secure promotion in 2012/13 were reunited. Wilfried Zaha and Yannick Bolasie provided the magic out wide, causing chaos for defenders across the country. Bolasie would go on to score a remarkable hat-trick in the following match, a commanding 4-1 victory over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

Leading the line was the hard-working Glenn Murray, who had battled throughout the season to regain full fitness. Alongside the creativity of Jason Puncheon and James McArthur behind them, Palace possessed a forward line capable of hurting any defence.

On the night, Joe Ledley sat in front of a solid defensive unit comprising Scott Dann and Damien Delaney, flanked by Martin Kelly and the evergreen Joel Ward.

In many ways, this starting XI represented a who’s who of modern Palace cult heroes, and nobody embodied that spirit more than Julian Speroni between the posts. The Argentine goalkeeper, along with his team-mates, appeared to be peaking at precisely the right stage of the campaign, and all the ingredients were there for a memorable evening.

As is often the case with Manchester City, it came as no surprise that they dominated the early possession. David Silva and Sergio Aguero linked up superbly as the visitors pinned Palace back towards their own penalty area.

Yet it appeared as if City’s desire to remain in the title race was weighing heavily on their shoulders. Palace looked happy to absorb pressure and strike whenever opportunities emerged. Zaha went close after failing to connect properly with a drilled Kelly cross at the back post during the tense early stages.

The visitors struggled to break down Palace’s resilient defence, with Dann and Delaney throwing themselves into challenges and clearing everything that entered the box. Speroni twice denied Silva, while Aguero struck the post from distance.

City were stunned in the 34th minute.

A deep Joel Ward cross found Ledley, whose flick-on reached Dann. Joe Hart saved the defender’s initial effort, but Murray reacted quickest to convert from close range before wheeling away in celebration.

There was a brief pause while Palace supporters checked for an offside flag that never arrived. With no VAR to dampen the emotion, the home crowd could begin dreaming of another famous giant-killing.

Leading 1-0 at half-time, Pardew clearly had no intention of allowing his side to retreat and simply protect their advantage.

Just three minutes after the restart, Puncheon won a free-kick on the edge of the area and what followed felt almost inevitable. The midfielder curled the ball around the wall and beyond Hart into the bottom corner.

It was one of three superb free-kicks Puncheon would score before the season’s end, with Manchester United and Liverpool also falling victim. A player who often produced in the biggest moments had given Palace vital breathing space in front of a jubilant Whitehorse Lane End.

His passion for his local club made him indispensable to this Palace side, but moments like this also served as a reminder of his technical quality and his knack for producing spectacular goals.

At 2-0 down, City were forced to throw everything at the Palace back line. With 12 minutes remaining, Yaya Toure unleashed an unstoppable strike past Speroni, who was left helpless as the ball flew into the net.

Many Palace supporters would have feared the worst, but instead they roared their side on in the hope of preserving the lead.

Reinforcements arrived in the form of Pape Souare, Dwight Gayle and Yaya Sanogo as Palace looked to see out the game. Despite a late Samir Nasri effort taking a deflection off Kelly, the Eagles held firm to secure an unforgettable three points.

It virtually guaranteed Premier League safety and helped pave the way for a top-half finish, with Selhurst Park erupting at the sound of the final whistle.

The statistics suggested the result should have been very different. City enjoyed 74 per cent possession and registered 22 shots compared to Palace’s five.

Yet only one statistic truly mattered.

The final score.

Results tailed off slightly after that, but Palace still secured an 11th-place finish under Pardew, a feat that has since only been bettered once in the Premier League era when Oliver Glasner guided the Eagles to 10th place in 2023/24.

As we approach Friday night’s fixture against Manchester City under the Selhurst Park lights once again, perhaps it is time to rekindle the spirit of 2015 and unsettle our north-western visitors from the opening whistle until the last.

The support of the Palace faithful will be crucial if the Eagles are to take points from another of English football’s heavyweights, just as it was on that famous evening 11 years ago.

That night, Palace exposed weaknesses in City’s armour.

Now it is time to do it again.