There was a renewed sense of hope for some at Selhurst Park before kick-off.
Crystal Palace could once again call upon their two most integral players in Daniel Munoz and Ismaila Sarr, previously absent through injury and Africa Cup of Nations participation, respectively. The mood was more positive, manager Oliver Glasner had cooled the temperature in his pre-match press conference and the chaos of the past three weeks appeared to have been left behind.
Encouragement, rather than dissent, followed minor mistakes or well intentioned moves which didn’t quite come off early in what became a 3-1 defeat by Chelsea. An overhit pass from Adam Wharton came at the end of a well-worked piece of build-up play but was greeted with applause, not irritation.
Yet, by the 50th minute, any optimism had been extinguished.
The scoreline did not reflect a game that neither side dominated. But it turned a feeling that perhaps this was the reset — a new start after 10 games without a win for Palace — into dismay once again. Jaydee Canvot’s handball to give away a penalty after a lengthy VAR check and then Adam Wharton’s late challenge on Moises Caicedo to earn him a second yellow card only served to compound the misery.
Just over a month ago, Palace supporters were serenading manager Glasner in Dublin after a 3-0 Conference League win over Shelbourne. His stock was high, his side fourth in the Premier League with 26 points from 15 games. He was someone special.
Since then, they have taken only two points from eight league matches, during which time Glasner has confirmed he will leave the club at the end of the season, captain Marc Guehi has been sold to Manchester City, and Jean-Philippe Mateta is unsettled. Their only inbound transfer activity to date has been the club-record signing of Brennan Johnson for a fee approaching £35million (€40m; $47m) on the opening day of the January window.
Palace had been the feel-good story of the Premier League. FA Cup winners in May to lift their first major trophy, Community Shield winners in August and a 19-game unbeaten run. All of that is as far away as ever now. It has turned.
“It’s been the perfect storm of events,” says Terence Ford of the Winging It podcast. “What looked like it would be a really promising season might peter out. A lot of people have said our season will be defined by what happens in the Conference League and there’s still a chance we can go on and win that.
“But that record points total is starting to look out of reach — it may end up being 12th again. I woke up this morning feeling so optimistic. It wasn’t that bad in the first half, seeing Sarr, Munoz, Wharton boxing players in the corner was promising that things are probably going to get better.
“Christmas was ruined, it continues and if it doesn’t get better soon all of a sudden Forest will be close behind, and if Brighton turn us over, the mood could get worse before it gets better.”
Christantus Uche reacts to Crystal Palace’s latest Premier League defeat (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Glasner has played his part in that with outbursts against the Palace hierarchy over the lack of support in the transfer window and the timing of Guehi’s departure, and his decision to unexpectedly announce he was not to sign a new contract when his deal expires in the summer.
A week ago he was booed, jeered and even had abuse shouted at him from the away end at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light after a 2-1 defeat, a day after that remarkable press conference, a game during which he made no substitutions.
“January has been a battle between logic and emotion,” adds Alex Pewter from the FYP podcast. “There was always the potential for a decline like this. The more fixtures, the more injuries, the tighter the victories became — before they dried up.
“This was predictable — the criticisms aired by Glasner are fairly accurate. The squad didn’t have the options to battle on multiple fronts. Fans are emotional though, and success at the end of last season set expectations higher than I can remember. Many of this squad were worthy of being considered all-time greats, the manager as the most successful in the club’s history.
“The higher the climb, the harder the fall. January has been the culmination, against the backdrop of no victories to ease that toxicity.
“With players returning, calmer heads have to prevail, wins need to flow, and repeated injuries need to be avoided. The team isn’t at rock bottom, even if it feels like it.”
The empty seats at Selhurst were prominent long before full-time against Chelsea. But there were enough Palace supporters remaining in the 85th minute to make their displeasure apparent when they booed Mateta — who had wasted an excellent chance at 0-0 — when he was replaced by Christantus Uche.
Perhaps the improvement in the final 15 minutes and a Chris Richards goal — the first league goal scored at Selhurst by a Palace player other than Mateta since Eddie Nketiah’s late winner against Liverpool in September — might offer some consolation. It did for Glasner.
“Everyone had the feeling in the 92nd minute if you score another one it could be a draw,” he said in his post-match press conference. “This reaction from the players gives me confidence because I’ve seen many good things.” He said the club was in a “transition” phase, acknowledging the challenges of that but believes the fans still have reason to be optimistic.
“That’s why I am talking positively today, the last 15-20 minutes they deserved it. If they let the club and fans down maybe it would be the right reaction but when I see this reaction I think everyone saw the effort. I said to my staff on the bench it’s an incredible effort.”
Those who left early will be feeling more aggrieved, more angsty, and more concerned than those who stayed to the end. But still, everyone will remain concerned by how this is going.
Defeat by Nottingham Forest next Sunday would put Palace at genuine risk of relegation and the mood could easily turn toxic.
It has soured far quicker than anyone could have expected.
