Crystal Palace escaped Turf Moor with a hard-fought 1–0 victory thanks to Daniel Muñoz’s precise first-half header — a single moment of quality in a match dominated by Burnley’s pressure but undermined, once again, by their lack of cutting edge.
The Colombian wing-back struck midway through the opening period, rising to guide a looping header back across goal from Marc Guehi’s deep cross. It was a slick, well-crafted move in an otherwise cagey first half where Burnley controlled possession but remained toothless in the final third — a recurring theme of their troubled season.
Oliver Glasner’s side were made to sweat late on, surviving waves of Burnley pressure and relying on heroics from Dean Henderson and Chris Richards to protect their slender advantage.
For Burnley, it was another afternoon of frustration: a fifth straight defeat, a fifth match without scoring, and further evidence of brutal Premier League growing pains.
Burnley’s opening spell showed promise. They circulated the ball confidently, pressed Palace back into their own half, and controlled the tempo. But, as has been the case too often, they stalled at the decisive moment. Palace, meanwhile, waited patiently for their moment — and when it came, they pounced. A sweeping move found Guehi in space wide on the right. His curling cross picked out Muñoz, who directed a measured header across James Trafford and into the far corner. Against the run of possession, Palace were in front. Scott Parker’s side, despite their territorial dominance, had produced just 0.07 expected goals up to that point — a statistic that summed up their first-half struggle.
Burnley emerged from the break with renewed intent, helped enormously by Parker’s bold decision to introduce Jacob Bruun Larsen, Hannibal Mejbri, and Marcus Edwards.
Instantly, the Clarets looked sharper, more vertical, and far more threatening.
On the hour mark, they engineered their best attacking sequence of the afternoon, Bruun Larsen’s teasing cross found Lyle Foster, whose half-volley was dramatically blocked. The rebound fell to Josh Cullen, whose effort was smothered by Palace defenders throwing bodies on the line. Moments later, Burnley came even closer.
Bruun Larsen surged into the box to meet a deep delivery, unleashing a thunderous effort destined for the top corner — only for Dean Henderson to stretch out a single fingertip and divert it onto the crossbar. Replays confirmed the slightest of touches made all the difference. It was Burnley’s turning point… but ultimately not enough.
Burnley pushed, pressed, and probed, but their intensity faded as the minutes ticked away.
Their final chance came wrapped in chaos: Henderson misread a late cross, punching thin air, and the ball ricocheted dangerously toward goal. It took a sharp, instinctive goal-line clearance from Chris Richards to deny Armando Broja what would have been a fluky equaliser. After that let-off, Palace closed ranks, slowed the tempo, and absorbed the last of Burnley’s pressure to secure what Oliver Glasner called “a huge win.”
Scott Parker, despite another crushing result, insisted his players deserved more. A lot of positives — courage, bravery, taking the game to Palace.
Oliver Glasner, meanwhile, admitted his team had to “survive” the final stretch.
Crystal Palace climb further from danger, grinding out three vital away points. Burnley suffer a fifth consecutive defeat, remain goal-shy, and face increasing pressure in the fight for survival. Muñoz continues to shine under Glasner, delivering energy, aggression, and — now — crucial goals.
Despite Burnley’s late charge and control for long spells, Palace’s resilience won the day.
For Parker’s young side, the effort was admirable — but the Premier League remains unforgiving, and their margin for error grows thinner by the week.
