By Our Football Correspondent at Selhurst Park
JØRGEN STRAND LARSEN thought he had written the headlines. On a night that began as a coronation for Crystal Palace’s new £48m talisman, it ended as a horror show for Oliver Glasner as Burnley snatched a 3-2 victory from the jaws of certain defeat.
The Norwegian giant, making his home debut, looked every bit the Premier League powerhouse.
In the 17th minute, he latched onto a peach of a pass from ADAM WHARTON to hammer home the opener.
By the 33rd minute, the Holmesdale End was in raptures as Larsen doubled his tally, meeting JEFFERSON LERMA’S cross with a clinical diving header.
At 2-0, Burnley looked like a team destined for the drop, their 16-match winless run weighing on them like a lead anchor. But then came seven minutes of pure, unadulterated Premier League madness.
The Great Escape
The comeback started with a moment of magic from HANNIBAL MEJBRI. Five minutes before the break, the former Manchester United man swept home a cut-back from MARCUS EDWARDS to give the visitors a pulse.
Suddenly, the Eagles’ composure vanished.
Just four minutes later, JAIDON ANTHONY—a constant menace on the flank—drove into the box and rifled a low effort past DEAN HENDERSON to level the scores.
But the real gut punch came in stoppage time.
A towering header from BASHIR HUMPHREYS was parried by Henderson, only to ricochet off the unfortunate Lerma and trickling over the line.
From 2-0 down to 3-2 up in the blink of an eye, Scott Parker’s side headed into the tunnel shell-shocked but leading.
The second half was a tale of Palace desperation and Burnley grit. Glasner threw on BRENNAN JOHNSON and ISMAILA SARR to salvage a point, but the Clarets’ backline, led by the heroic Humphreys, stood firm.
The drama peaked in the dying seconds when Sarr connected with a spectacular acrobatic effort.
The home crowd held its breath, but MARTIN DUBRAVKA produced a “save of the season” contender, clawing the ball away to ensure the points headed back to Lancashire.
For Palace, it is a ninth home game without a win and a bitter pill to swallow for Larsen, whose dream debut was turned into a nightmare.
For Burnley, it is the spark they have been searching for since October.
