Crystal Palace continued their impressive home run against Wolverhampton Wanderers, securing a thrilling 4-2 victory at Selhurst Park that not only extended their winning streak over Wolves to five matches but also significantly boosted their chances of a top-half Premier League finish.
The Eagles, still riding high from their historic FA Cup final triumph over Manchester City � a win that also guarantees them UEFA Europa League football next season � found themselves momentarily brought back to earth in the 24th minute. A corner routine saw Jorgen Strand Larsen head the ball across the area, finding Emmanuel Agbadou, whose header just crept over the line for his inaugural Wolves goal.
Despite falling behind, Palace refused to buckle. Playing with the freedom of a team on a high, they engineered a stunning six-minute turnaround before halftime. Romain Esse initiated the comeback, pulling the ball back from the byline for Eddie Nketiah, who expertly slotted his right-footed effort into the bottom right corner to level proceedings. Moments later, Daniel Munoz hooked a delightful ball over the top from the right touchline, releasing Ismaila Sarr. His low pass across the area found an unmarked Nketiah at the far post, and the striker made no mistake, ensuring Palace headed into the interval with a crucial lead.
With just one defeat in their last 12 home league campaign finales, the South Londoners were confident of extending that impressive record. Their confidence was rewarded when Ben Chilwell’s free-kick from around 25 yards took a deflection, sneaking past a wrong-footed Bentley into the bottom left-hand corner to double the hosts� advantage.
Wolves, struggling to create chances from open play, found solace in set-pieces. They reignited their flickering hopes when Strand Larsen rose highest from Jean-Ricner Bellegarde�s corner, sending a looping header into the net for his sixth goal in his last eight appearances. The visitors almost drew level inside the final 15 minutes, but Dean Henderson, the FA Cup hero, reacted sharply to produce a brilliant one-handed save from Goncalo Guedes� powerful volley, which was destined for the top right-hand corner.
That decisive intervention proved costly for Wolves, as Palace then extended their lead and sealed the victory. Fittingly, their FA Cup match-winner, Eberechi Eze, found the net with just four minutes of normal time remaining, wrapping up a memorable afternoon.
The result sees the Eagles extend their unbeaten league run to five matches, keeping them in 12th place and firmly in contention for a top-10 finish. For Wolves, it was a third successive league defeat, leaving them in 14th spot.
