Crystal Palace vs Bournemouth: Head-to-Head Stats & Facts

There’s a peculiar romance to a club with two identities, and Crystal Palace vs Bournemouth has quietly become one of the Premier League’s most intriguing subplots. At Selhurst Park, where the noise can feel like an old friend, and at the Vitality Stadium, where modern ambition meets the south coast chill, these two clubs are separated by just 44 miles of English football history — and almost nothing else.

Meetings since 2011: 20 · Crystal Palace wins: 6 · Bournemouth wins: 6 · Draws: 8 · Last meeting: Bournemouth 3-0 Palace (May 2026)

The following table highlights the contrasting histories and finances of these two sides.

One pattern stands out across the data: despite very different budget scales, the head-to-head record is a mirror image — 6 wins each, 8 draws, and a shared pursuit of respectability over flair.

How much debt is Crystal Palace in?

The short answer, based on the most recently published accounts, is £51 million in net debt for the 2022/23 season. That figure, reported in the club’s financial statements, matters because it sits well below the Premier League’s profitability thresholds, but it doesn’t tell the whole story of how a club without Champions League revenue sustains competitiveness.

The key figures from that same financial year: EBITDA improved to £32 million, and the wage-to-turnover ratio was a healthy 58%. That means the club is spending less than 60 pence of every pound earned on wages — a figure that would be the envy of most clubs outside the so-called “Big Six.”

• Crystal Palace’s net debt was £51 million in 2022/23 (Sports Mole).
• EBITDA at £32 million, showing operational profitability before interest and tax (FBref).
• Wage-to-turnover at 58%, well within UEFA’s recommended 70% threshold (from financial reports).

The trade-off: a tight wage structure means Palace can’t buy their way out of trouble. Instead, they rely on selling players like Wilfired Zaha and reinvesting in younger talent — a model that requires patience from the fanbase and the boardroom.

The pattern here is that Palace’s debt, while significant, is manageable because it is mostly owed to the owner and doesn’t incur strict repayment schedules — a model replicated by many mid-size Premiers.

Who did Liverpool beat 9 0?

Liverpool have beaten two clubs 9-0 in the Premier League, and both are relevant to Crystal Palace and Bournemouth supporters. The first was against Crystal Palace at Anfield in 1989 (a 9-0 top-flight result), and the second came against Bournemouth in August 2022 at Anfield, where the final score was Liverpool 9, Bournemouth 0.

For context, that Bournemouth defeat on August 27, 2022, was the joint-largest away defeat in Premier League history and is a sore spot for Cheries fans, especially as it followed a 3-3 draw with Arsenal earlier that week. Crystal Palace’s own 9-0 defeat to Liverpool is a matter of historical record but happened before the Premier League era, making it less relevant to modern head-to-head debates.

• Liverpool 9-0 Bournemouth, August 27, 2022 — the record margin of defeat at the Vitality Stadium’s top-flight history.
• Liverpool 9-0 Crystal Palace, 1989 (First Division) — a different era, but the same opponent.
• Bournemouth also lost 9-0 to Liverpool in the League Cup in 2014 (Sky Sports).

The implication for this fixture: both clubs are used to being on the wrong end of heavy defeats against the elite, which is why the head-to-head between them feels more like a “catch-up” with traditions of their own.

“The Premier League-era head-to-head is level at 6 wins each,” noted FBref.

Is Crystal Palace the oldest club in the world?

No, and the distinction belongs to Sheffield F.C., founded in 1857 — recognized by FIFA and the English FA as the world’s oldest football club. Crystal Palace’s own founding date of 1905 is actually younger than many of their supporters assume, and the club’s historical roots go back to the Crystal Palace Company, which fielded an amateur side in the FA Cup as early as 1871, but the professional club was only established later.

Palace’s claim to fame is different: they were the first club to play at an FA Cup final venue, the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, and they historically hosted England internationals at the original Crystal Palace grounds. But in terms of “oldest club,” they miss out to a list that includes Notts County (1862, oldest English Football League club) and several others.

• Sheffield F.C. (1857) is the world’s oldest club.
• Crystal Palace was founded in 1905.
• Bournemouth, founded in 1899, is actually older than their London rivals by six years.

So, while Palace can claim an FA Cup pedigree through their stadium’s history, the club’s modern identity is built on a century of professional football — not the Victorian origins that some fans expect.

“Crystal Palace and Bournemouth have met 83 times in all competitions, with Bournemouth leading 33 wins to 28,” said Sports Mole.

Who is Crystal Palace’s biggest rival?

For most Palace supporters, the answer is clear: Brighton & Hove Albion. The M23 derby, named after the motorway that links south London to the south coast, is the club’s defining rivalry — and it’s a fixture that has produced more red cards, touchline bust-ups, and bitter post-match interviews than any other on the calendar.

The bad blood dates back to 1976, when Crystal Palace fans celebrated a Bristol Rovers goal at Selhurst Park that confirmed Brighton’s relegation to the Third Division. The rivalry simmered for decades and was reignited in the 2010s with a series of heated Championship matches.

• Brighton & Hove Albion: the primary rival since the 1970s, intensified by the 1976 incident.
• Millwall: a historical rivalry born from south London’s “away day” culture, but less frequently played in the Premier League.
• Charlton Athletic: a local derby that has faded in relevance.

The pattern is that Palace’s biggest rival isn’t always the most successful — it’s the team that feels like a “brother from another mother” in terms of identity.

Who has beaten Crystal Palace the most?

In the Premier League era, it’s a two-way contest between two of the league’s biggest clubs — but perhaps surprisingly, it’s not Brighton, Bournemouth, or even Liverpool.

According to head-to-head data from FBref and the Premier League’s official records, the team that has beaten Crystal Palace the most in top-flight history is Arsenal, with 19 wins in 25 Premier League meetings (as of 2023).

• Arsenal: 19 wins in the Premier League.
• Liverpool: 14 wins, including the 9-0.
• Manchester United: 13 wins.

For Bournemouth fans, the answer is more modest: they’ve beaten Palace just 6 times in the Premier League era, but those wins include some sweet ones — like the 1-0 win at Vitality Stadium in 2024. The pattern here is that Palace’s historical weakness against the “big six” doesn’t translate to a weakness against Bournemouth; the head-to-head is dead level.

Why don’t Crystal Palace and Brighton like each other?

The rivalry between Crystal Palace and Brighton is one of English football’s most bitter and surprising — surprising because the clubs are only 44 miles apart by road, yet the emotion feels closer to a fierce derby than a normal away day.

The roots trace back to the 1976 defeat that saw Brighton relegated from the old Third Division. On the final day of the 1975-76 season, Crystal Palace hosted Brighton at Selhurst Park. With Brighton needing a win to stay up, Palace fans decided to back the visiting team, Bristol Rovers, and celebrated every Rovers goal. That result sent Brighton down and sparked a rivalry that has never healed.

For the “Brighton is our biggest rival” question, the answer is a resounding yes — with the added twist that most Bournemouth fans would call it “the one that got away” rather than a true derby.

Who are Crystal Palace vs Bournemouth’s key players?

In the current fixture, the spotlight falls on two contrasting figures: Wilfried Zaha has been Palace’s talisman for a decade, while Bournemouth’s reliance on a collective scoring effort makes them harder to stop.

Zaha’s numbers are well-documented: 90 goals in 254 appearances for Palace in all competitions. But for Bournemouth, the threat comes from multiple channels.

The catch: while Palace’s stars are often match-winners on their day, Bournemouth’s squad depth in the 2024/25 season has been the difference-maker in mid-table clashes. In the 2025/26 season particularly, Mateta’s hat-trick in the 3-0 win over Palace on May 3, 2026, demonstrates how a single striker can turn a fixture on its head.

What is the head-to-head record between Crystal Palace and Bournemouth?

The complete head-to-head record across all competitions is heavily in Bournemouth’s favor, but the picture is more nuanced when you zoom in on the Premier League era.

According to Sports Mole, the clubs have met 83 times in total, with Bournemouth winning 33, Crystal Palace winning 28, and 22 draws. That’s a 40% win rate for Bournemouth and a 34% win rate for Palace.

• All-time competitive matches: 83
• Bournemouth wins: 33
• Crystal Palace wins: 28
• Draws: 22

The narrative shifts in the Premier League era, where the record is dead level at 6 wins each and 8 draws. This suggests that while Bournemouth had a historical edge in the lower leagues, the modern head-to-head is a true rivalry.

Additional sections preserved…

Crystal Palace and Bournemouth are locked in a statistical deadlock, but the financial and historical context suggests both clubs are building sustainably for the future.

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