'Stay humble!' - Oliver Glasner fires warning to Crystal Palace stars after shock Conference League defeat at home to AEK Larnaca

Crystal Palace suffered a stunning home defeat to AEK Larnaca in the first-ever European match at Selhurst Park, losing 1-0 despite dominating large spells of the game. The Premier League side created 15 chances but failed to make their possession count, registering just one shot on target in a frustrating performance. Riad Bajic scored the only goal of the night in the 51st minute, punishing a defensive error from Jaydee Canvot to hand the Cypriot visitors a famous victory.

The result ended Palace’s 14-match unbeaten home run and left supporters disappointed on what was meant to be a historic European night. Selhurst Park had been electric before kick-off, with banners and chants celebrating the club’s FA Cup triumph and newfound continental adventure. However, as Glasner’s men squandered chance after chance, the energy quickly turned to disbelief.

"You are always told when you play in the Premier League you win the Conference League," Glasner told reporters after the game. "Stay humble. I don’t know if any debutant is able to win the competition. I don’t think so. We will learn from it, the players will learn. It’s disappointing, a frustrating night, but maybe the whole environment needed it to stay humble."

The Austrian coach admitted that his team’s failure to take their chances felt like "a little bit deja vu" after recent games in which they didn’t take their chances: "That's European football, and when you play the first time, maybe you have to learn that small mistakes get punished. We had enough chances to win the game, that's the story of not just today, but for many games. I think we had four or five big chances to score, but we didn't and made one mistake, and then you can lose a game like this, and it's now for us to learn from this and keep heads up."

The defeat came at a time when optimism around Selhurst Park was soaring. Palace have enjoyed one of their best-ever starts to a Premier League season under Glasner, currently sitting eighth in the table with just one league loss in eight matches. They began the campaign by lifting the Community Shield after beating Liverpool on penalties, their second major trophy after having won the FA Cup, a few months earlier.

In the Premier League, Palace’s form has been steady, highlighted by a 2-1 win over champions Liverpool and a 3-0 away victory at Aston Villa. Jean-Philippe Mateta has been the standout performer, scoring seven goals in all competitions, while Daichi Kamada and Tyrick Mitchell have also impressed. Yet despite these highs, recent weeks have seen a dip in consistency - the Larnaca loss followed a 3-3 draw with Bournemouth and a 2-1 defeat to Everton.

For all their progress under Glasner, Thursday’s setback exposed how fine the margins are in European football. Against a Larnaca side ranked fifth in the Cypriot league, Palace’s lack of clinical edge and lapses in focus proved costly. The defeat also reignited questions about the squad’s depth and ability to manage playing two games a week.

Crystal Palace will look to regroup quickly as they turn their attention back to Premier League action. Glasner’s men face league leaders Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday - a daunting test that could reveal how much they’ve learned from Thursday’s humbling experience. In the longer term, Palace remain well-positioned domestically and still have time to recover in the Conference League group stage.