Crystal Palace are safe. Now the focus can truly fix on the Conference League final

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It had been edging that way for a while. Victory over Tottenham Hotspur back in early March suggested top-flight safety would be achieved. But, with the manager juggling his squad and points dropped while those at their shoulder seemed to stir, some had started to fret. There are fans of this club who still bear the mental scars from 1993, when the team achieved 49 points in the inaugural 22-team Premier League season and still went down. That remains the highest points total accumulated by a team relegated since the top flight’s rebranding, with Oldham Athletic’s three wins in the final week securing survival at Palace’s expense. There was also relegation with 45 points in 1995, another demotion from a 22-team division that lingers. So with Palace on 44 points, eight clear of 18th-placed West Ham at full-time and seven clear of Spurs with three games remaining, there were still nagging doubts for some that those teams might conjure something remarkable. Palace can now focus on the UEFA Conference League, in which they confront Rayo Vallecano in the final on May 27, and make this an historic season by securing a first European trophy and Europa League football next term. To beat the Spanish, though, they may have to address recurring themes — not least their profligacy. Yet despite that issue rearing its head once again, they displayed resilience against Everton, something they will definitely need in that final. Manager Oliver Glasner bemoaned his team’s mental fatigue after a dismal 3-0 defeat by Bournemouth last weekend, but they were much more spritely, spirited and resolute in this 2-2 draw. It was as if their mid-week European match against Shakhtar Donetsk had helped them. It was their best performance after a Conference League game since their win over Aston Villa at the end of August. Palace have won just one of their last six Premier League matches directly after a midweek European match and their performances have too often been lethargic. Not so this time. They have played 17 more games than Everton this season but, other than in patches, it did not really show. Glasner, in his post-match press conference, said it was the opposition who looked like they had played three days earlier. “The difference is the job in the Conference League was not done (before the Bournemouth game),” he said. “The final is so far away. With our schedule, two and a half weeks feels like eternity. We don’t think or talk about it. That was just half-time and (there had been) travelling. “We wanted to make the Premier League (survival) clear and decide it ourselves. This is the way we played. We have shown we are competitive against any team if we have this mentality, this spirit and commitment.” They can now forget about the Premier League and Glasner can choose to make changes to his side without any concern. Adam Wharton, Daichi Kamada, Maxence Lacroix and Ismaila Sarr can all be rested against Manchester City on Wednesday night, or in any of their final three league games. The likelihood of fatigue, both psychological and physical, kicking in before the final is significantly diminished. “It feels since the Fiorentina home game (which Palace won 3-0), that everyone now knows we are coming to the final stage of the season — (there is) a vibe starting to create around Selhurst, in the club, that everyone is enjoying football and the situation,” Glasner said. “This vibe started then. It’s not a problem for anyone to be 2-1 down because everyone believes we are able to strike back. This is what the players created again.” That mood has certainly shifted, given that only Burnley, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Fulham have had fewer shots on target than Palace’s 51 since January 16, the day Glasner announced he would leave when his contract ends this summer. Other than the three teams in the relegation zone, only Brentford have had fewer total shots than Palace’s 166 since then, too. Before the 21 shots against Everton, it was only Burnley who ranked worse. So to recover from twice being behind and create so many chances was encouraging. Sarr was a constant threat yet again, Tyrick Mitchell showed why he should be in the conversation for an England place at the World Cup in the summer — Thomas Tuchel was at Selhurst Park to witness his performance first-hand — by standing up his man and taking Everton defenders on several times to create dangerous situations. Jean-Philippe Mateta, to his credit, has come back from the disappointment of a failed move to Milan and largely thrived. He was a menace following a second-half introduction and took his goal well. Survival will always represent a significant achievement for Palace, but even more so this year, given the cluttered schedule and challenges — from players being unavailable to Glasner’s outbursts — that have emerged over the campaign. With Premier League safety confirmed, their full focus can shift to Europe. Channel many of the positives from this game and combine them with those shown in the last two Conference League ties and they will be a formidable opponent for Rayo in Leipzig. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms