Oliver Glasner enjoyed a dream debut as Crystal Palace’s new manager with three goals in 11 minutes to give the Eagles a comfortable 3-0 win against 10-man Burnley.
The Austrian became only the second of 15 Palace managers to win their opening Premier League match, making an inspired double change on 66 minutes to break the Clarets’ resistance after Josh Brownhill had been shown a straight red card in the first half for a foul on Jefferson Lerma.
Just two minutes after Glasner’s tactical switch, Jordan Ayew crossed for Chris Richards to open the scoring, before substitute Matheus Franca set up Ayew for a second after 71 minutes. Franca then drew a penalty that Jean-Philippe Mateta converted for Palace’s third.
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How the match unfolded
Glasner named an unchanged starting XI from the side that drew 1-1 with Everton on Monday, while Vincent Kompany’s Burnley suffered a fresh blow in their relegation fight with confirmation that midfielder Aaron Ramsey is out of the rest of the season with a knee injury sustained in their 5-0 defeat by Arsenal last Saturday.
Palace nearly got off to a dream start for their new manager when a clever 12th-minute set-piece routine between Ayew and Adam Wharton found Lerma on the edge of the box, but the Colombian fired over.
In a fairly quiet opening, Palace dominated possession but found a Burnley defence - that had shipped three goals in each of their last three away matches - in a stubborn mood.
However the dismissal of Brownhill for a shirt tug on Lerma, when the Palace midfielder intercepted a backpass to go through on goal, left the Clarets with a numerical disadvantage, and nearly an hour still to play.
Odsonne Edouard grazed the top of the bar with the resulting free-kick as the Eagles went close moments after Kompany had replaced Zeki Amdouni with Josh Cullen in a tactical switch to give the Clarets an extra man in midfield.
The second half quickly shaped up in the same manner as the first - Burnley soaking up the pressure, looking to spring on the counter, while continuing to frustrate their hosts with great defensive blocks to deny Edouard and Daniel Munoz.
Indeed the visitors, who did not have a shot on goal in the opening 45 minutes, registered their first clear chance just before the hour-mark when Lorenz Assignon’s floated delivery picked out David Datro Fofana at the back post, but the Chelsea loanee’s header lacked power and direction.
Glasner then made the substitutions that would break Burnley’s resilience, replacing Wharton and Edouard with Naouirou Ahamada and Franca.
Ayew sparked wild scenes of celebration by Glasner when he crossed for Richards to head home the opener - the new manager celebrating on the pitch - with Tyrick Mitchell and Franca combining to set up Ayew, who made it 2-0 from close range in the 71st minute.
Mateta added a third with 11 minutes remaining, calmly sending Trafford the wrong way from the spot after Franca had been fouled by Burnley substitute Vitinho.
Fofana thought he had reduced the arrears three minutes from time, when he nodded in a loose ball but his goal is ruled out for offside on Assignon after a VAR review.
Palace's first win in four matches moves them to 14th spot on 28 points, eight clear of the relegation zone.
Burnley remain 19th on 13 points following a third consecutive defeat.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 |
Wolves
WOL
|
38 | -15 | 46 |
| 15 |
Everton
EVE
|
38 | -11 | 40 |
| 16 |
Brentford
BRE
|
38 | -9 | 39 |
| 17 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
38 | -18 | 32 |
| 18 |
Luton
LUT
|
38 | -33 | 26 |
| 19 |
Burnley
BUR
|
38 | -37 | 24 |
| 20 |
Sheffield Utd
SHU
|
38 | -69 | 16 |
Club reports
Crystal Palace report | Burnley report
Next five Premier League fixtures
Key facts
Oliver Glasner is just the second Crystal Palace manager to win his first Premier League game in charge of the club after Alan Pardew against Tottenham Hotspur in January 2015.
Palace have won three of their last four league matches at Selhurst Park (L1), as many as in their previous 13 games there (D5 L5), with this their biggest home league victory since a 3-0 win over Arsenal in April 2022.
Burnley have lost, and conceded three goals, in each of their last four matches on the road – only in November 2009, with a run of six, have they conceded 3+ goals in more successive away matches in the Premier League.
Jordan Ayew has been involved in 10 Premier League goals for the Eagles this season (4 goals, 6 assists); only the second time he’s reached double figures, previously doing so with Palace in 2019/20 (11). Indeed, he’s now scored in successive matches in the competition for the first time since June 2020 (run of three).
