For most of their existence, Crystal Palace were the kind of club that built its identity around heartbreak rather than glory. Founded in 1905, the South London side spent more than a hundred years bouncing between divisions, surviving relegation scares, and producing the occasional thrilling cup run that ended in tears. They were beloved by a fiercely loyal fanbase at Selhurst Park, but they were never winners. Not in the trophy sense. That label changed completely in the span of two extraordinary seasons under an Austrian coach who arrived almost unnoticed and left as the most important figure in the club’s history.
- Major trophies won before May 2025: zero
That single number tells you everything about how long Palace fans waited. Generations of supporters were born, grew old, and passed away without ever seeing their club lift a major piece of silverware. The closest they came were two FA Cup finals that ended in pain. In 1990 they pushed Manchester United to a replay before losing. In 2016 they led at Wembley with twelve minutes left, only to be beaten by the same opponent. Those defeats became part of Palace folklore, the kind of stories fathers told sons to explain what it meant to support the Eagles. Hope, followed by disappointment, was practically written into the club crest.
The arrival of Oliver Glasner
When Oliver Glasner took over in February 2024, Palace were not chasing trophies. They were fighting to stay in the Premier League. The club sat dangerously close to the relegation zone, and the Austrian was hired to steady a sinking ship rather than to build a dynasty. What few people remembered at the time was that Glasner already had a serious winning pedigree. He had guided Eintracht Frankfurt to the Europa League title in 2022, beating Rangers on penalties in the final, and he had a reputation across Germany and Austria as a coach who could organize a team and squeeze maximum value from limited resources.
- Points earned in his first 13 league games: 24
That immediate impact saved Palace from danger and hinted at something bigger. Glasner installed a back three, demanded relentless work without the ball, and turned a group of underrated players into a unit greater than the sum of its parts. He did it without the spending power of the so called Big Six. There were no headline transfers, no nine figure squad rebuilds. Glasner simply made the players he had believe they were capable of more than survival.
The day everything changed
The breakthrough came on May 17, 2025, at Wembley Stadium. Crystal Palace faced Manchester City in the FA Cup final, a clash that on paper looked like a mismatch. City were one of the most expensively assembled teams in soccer history. Palace were the underdogs nobody outside South London expected to win. What followed became the most iconic afternoon the club had ever experienced.
FA Cup final result: Crystal Palace 1, Manchester City 0
Eberechi Eze scored the only goal in the first half, and from that moment the entire match became about survival and belief. Goalkeeper Dean Henderson produced a string of crucial saves, including a penalty stop that kept the dream alive. When the final whistle blew, Marc Guehi and Joel Ward lifted the trophy and a 120 year wait ended in an instant. Glasner became the first Austrian manager ever to win the FA Cup, and the victory carried extra emotional weight given those painful final defeats in 1990 and 2016, both against Manchester United.
Back to back glory at Wembley
Some clubs win once and treat it as the peak of their existence. Palace refused to stop there. Just three months later they returned to Wembley for the Community Shield, facing Premier League champions Liverpool. It was the club’s first ever appearance in the fixture, and few gave them a chance against a side packed with attacking talent.
Community Shield result: 2 to 2, Palace win 3 to 2 on penalties
Liverpool twice took the lead through new signings, and twice Palace fought back, with Jean Philippe Mateta converting a penalty and Ismaila Sarr equalizing to force a shootout. Then came the moment that defined the new Palace. Dean Henderson, once again the hero, saved from Alexis Mac Allister and Harvey Elliott, while Mohamed Salah missed for Liverpool. Palace converted their spot kicks and lifted a second trophy in a single calendar year. A club that had never won anything suddenly had two pieces of silver in three months.
A first European crown
The third trophy was perhaps the most remarkable of all. Palace qualified for European competition for the first time in their history, though a complicated ownership situation saw them demoted from the Europa League to the UEFA Conference League. Many fans felt cheated. Glasner used it as fuel. His team marched through the competition and reached the final in Leipzig against Spanish side Rayo Vallecano.
Conference League final result: Crystal Palace 1, Rayo Vallecano 0
The decisive moment came early in the second half. Adam Wharton fired a shot that the goalkeeper could only parry, and Jean Philippe Mateta pounced to slot home. Palace held on through a nervous finish to claim their first ever European trophy. It was a fitting climax to one of the most unlikely success stories in modern soccer, and it gave the club a place among Europe’s surprise winners alongside the giants of the continent.
The end of an era
In a twist nobody saw coming, that Conference League final was Glasner’s last match in charge. He departed immediately after, leaving with his reputation higher than ever and his place in Palace history permanently secured.
Trophies delivered in under two years: three
The numbers are staggering when you remember where this club started. From zero major honors in 120 years to the FA Cup, the Community Shield, and the Conference League in the space of two seasons. Glasner did not just win matches. He changed the entire identity of Crystal Palace, transforming a club defined by near misses into genuine winners. The fans who waited a lifetime for one trophy got three, and the man who delivered them will forever be remembered as the coach who finally made the Eagles fly.