Crystal Palace closed the season with a gritty 1‑0 victory at Brentford that lifted them to 56 points, eclipsing the club record of 49 set only a year ago. Jean‑Philippe Mateta’s predatory finish from a Matt O’Riley cut‑back on 64 minutes provided the decisive moment, but it was Glasner’s structural tweaks that powered a spring surge of six wins from nine. By inverting full‑backs Daniel Muñoz and Tyrick Mitchell into midfield during build‑up, Palace generated central overloads and posted the league’s third‑highest expected‑goals tally from high turnovers. The Austrian took charge in February 2024 with the Eagles languishing in 17th; 15 months on, he has delivered back‑to‑back top‑half finishes and an FA Cup final.
Palace ended with a positive goal difference for only the second time in Premier League history, scoring 58 and conceding 52. Eight players reached at least four league goals, proof the attack no longer relies solely on Eberechi Eze. The result triggered squad bonuses worth £5 million and guaranteed Europa League football should City qualify for the Champions League via the league. Chairman Steve Parish hailed Glasner’s impact and confirmed talks over a two‑year extension amid interest from RB Leipzig.
With a modest net spend of £38 million and the youngest average XI in the bottom half, Palace rank fourth in the division for points per wage pound. Glasner said belief, collaboration and relentless detail have redefined expectations in SE25 and that the next frontier is regular European nights at Selhurst Park.
