‘Hungry’ & ‘ambitious’ Palace set new unbeaten record

Prior to a year ago, Crystal Palace were worryingly unbeaten and 18th in the Premier League.

After winning a memorable first-ever away game against Dynamo Kyiv in the Conference League, the FA Cup winners of the previous term are now playing their longest series of games without a loss in their 120-year history.

With three victories and three draws, Oliver Glasner’s top-flight Eagles are third in the standings with the only unbeaten record, ending Liverpool’s own successful start.

Palace last lost a game against Newcastle on April 16 with a 5-0 defeat.

However, they haven’t looked back since then, with Dynamo Kyiv, a team steeped in European history, deploying a system and strategies specifically designed to try to obliterate Palace’s threat. This may have contributed to how far they have come.

Not that it was effective.

With Bert Head as their manager, Glasner’s side defeated Liverpool on Saturday, ending an 18-game unbeaten streak that was last reached between February and August 1969.

Despite having Borna Sosa sent off after earlier goals from Eddie Nketiah and Daniel Munoz, they still managed to top that mark with a strong performance in their first appearance in the group stage of a major European competition.

They are “so eager to succeed, and so ambitious, and it is very easy to keep the focus high,” said Glasner.

“We respect Dynamo Kyiv very much, so playing away in the Conference League with a win and three points is very encouraging.”

Given the opposition they faced, Palace’s performance is all the more impressive.

Their run includes victories at Arsenal and Chelsea, two victories and a draw at Liverpool, and an FA Cup triumph over Manchester City.

Former England midfielder Owen Hargreaves shared the impression that Palace, who are joint favorites to win the Conference League, are in a golden age of their history while speaking on TNT Sports.

That is truly remarkable for 19 games to go unbeaten. He credited them with their first away victory in Europe.

This team is “going places,” they say. They are gaining in popularity.

In 2025, only Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City have won more Premier League points than Palace. In their first six league games this year, the Eagles’ defense has also conceded just three goals, four of which came against opponents who finished in the top seven in 2024-25.

A team that lost five of its first eight top-flight games last year and needed to win the league until October 27th, saw an incredible reverse of fortunes.

Additionally, their performance is favorably compared to other continent-based teams.

Bayern Munich, one of Europe’s top five leagues, ranks next in the list with nine games on the score sheet when it comes to unbeaten runs.

Glasner added, “I’m proud that we had a very good opponent to start the Conference League against.”