But Selhurst Park buzzed with excitement. And the Eagles soared to a 2-1 victory over Chelsea to finally get their Premier League campaign off the ground.

Some good fortune early on propelled them into a 1-0 lead. Yohan Cabaye couldn’t quite handle an Andros Townsend cross, but Caesar Azpilicueta bundled it into his own net:

Tiemoue Bakayoko ensured Palace’s relieved celebrations were short-lived. The French midfielder equalized for Chelsea seven minutes later, and order was restored.

But order was only restored on the Selhurt Park scoreboard. The hosts were excellent all afternoon, and while it might be generous to say they outplayed their visitors, they certainly outplayed expectations.

Right before halftime, Palace regained a lead it deserved. Wilfried Zaha slithered into the box and slid a shot past Thibaut Courtois to double Palace’s goal tally on the day, and also on the season:

Palace had set Premier League and English football records for futility with its start to the season. It was the first team ever to start a league campaign with five scoreless defeats. It was then hammered by England’s top two teams, Manchester City and Manchester United.

But the international break provided a reprieve. An opportunity for Roy Hodgson – brought in to replace the ousted Frank De Boer after four games – to regroup and get the squad set for a clash with Chelsea.

The dirty little secret of the first five games was that Palace actually hadn’t been that bad. The Eagles had underperformed against poor teams, yes, but luck played just as big a part in their dreadful start. Their performance turned around Saturday, so did their luck, and both embarrassing streaks have been snapped.

Palace still props up the table in 20th place despite the win. But after all the panic and upheaval and jokes and condemnations, the club is only four points away from safety. The awful start is behind it. Onward and upward from here.

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Henry Bushnell covers soccer – the U.S. national teams, the Premier League, and much, much more – for FC Yahoo and Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Question? Comment? Email him at henrydbushnell@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @HenryBushnell.