LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 26: Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Crystal Palace at Emirates Stadium on October 26, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
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There was a time in the not-too-distant past when Crystal Palace arriving at Anfield and wiping the floor with the hosts would have been an era-defining result.
The victory would have been savored by fans and replayed endlessly on official channels.
But such is the rise of the South Londoners that, really, the midweek 0-3 win against the reigning Premier League champions isn’t even the most impressive result against Liverpool this season.
The last-minute winner that delivered the first loss of the Reds’ season at Selhurst Park, as well as the penalty victory in the Community Shield, both came against stronger XIs.
However, the majority of Eagles’ fans who followed the team as it bounced around the Championship and lower reaches of the Premier League will not take this moment for granted.
They must be scratching their heads at how, under the guidance of Oliver Glasner, the ceiling has been raised so high that their coach is actually discussing the victory’s flaws post-game.
“To be honest, the first 15 minutes, I was not pleased with our performance,” he said.
“It looked like we were still in the hotel beds, but then the rest of the game, we did well, we scored very nice goals.
“I think in attack we still could have created more clear chances in the second-half, and the last ball wasn’t so good. But again, winning 3-0 at Anfield is a great result. Reaching the quarter-finals was our goal, and we did it.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 29: Maxence Lacroix and Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace celebrate as Federico Chiesa of Liverpool looks dejected during the Carabao Cup Fourth Round match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Anfield on October 29, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
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Glasner did cite the significance of the three wins, but framed it in the context of significant improvement.
“We’re always talking about our standards,” he continued in the aftermath.
“Regardless of how the score is, regardless of where we are playing, regardless of which team we are playing, we set our standards. We want to play Crystal Palace football in and out of possession.
“We want to see the patterns we are training, we are talking about, and making the runs. The players did it. I think we can still do it better.
“Playing the champions three times in three months and winning all three games is exceptional. Credit to the players, because they did it.
“We went for the win. Now everybody goes home happy. That’s what we wanted, qualifying for the quarter-finals. Then, let’s see.”
As former Premier League boss Gary O’Neil pointed out, Glasner’s continued improvements with the Eagles are all the more impressive given the number of elite players the club has been forced to sell.
He said: “I think the journey that he [Glasner] taken that football club on… if you think from where he picked it up, also the quality of the players that they’ve lost as well in [Michael] Olise and [Ebere] Eze, who were both a massive part of what they were achieving, and you wouldn’t know that they’d lost that much quality.
“They’re so hard to play against, not only at Selhurst Park now, on the road as well. They have a real clear style. They never deviate from it. They’re good from set pieces. It’s an incredible job that he’s done there.
“I mean, to add silverware at a club like Crystal Palace in itself is an incredible achievement. But then to come back again this season, and maybe you would be excused for dropping off a little bit, having won the FA Cup and having won the Community Shield, and having lost your best player in Eze, and there’s been no drop off at all. They’ve actually taken it to another level.
“Nothing but extreme praise from me, because I know how difficult it is. I’ve been in a similar seat to that, and he’s making it look very, very easy at the moment, and it definitely isn’t.”
Alan Shearer told the BBC that he felt the Eagles could surpass last year’s incredible achievements, given how well the side looks.
“They’re very well coached, they’re very well organised, and all the players are very comfortable in this system,” he said.
“They were absolutely outstanding. They really have been absolutely superb. If they can keep the vast majority of those players fit, then they could have a very, very exciting season.”
Regardless of how impressive the Eagles’ current form is, maintaining these standards will be an immense challenge.
This is because victory against Liverpool has created a fixture pile-up in what was already a congested schedule.
The South Londoners don’t have the largest squad as it is and are juggling midweek European commitments due to last season’s FA Cup win.
Reaching the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup, therefore, means the Eagles will play four matches in eight days.
To get a sense of just how busy Palace will be, it will take until February for them to have a free midweek slot. That’s a relentless run to have a game every three days.
It’s therefore hard to see anything other than a drop in form from Oliver Glasner’s side. If they can maintain these standards, make no mistake – the Austrian deserves the Manager of the Year award.