Nottingham Forest were held to a 1-1 draw but they remain six points above the bottom three in the Premier League.
The game got off to the ideal start for Sean Dyche's side as Morgan Gibbs-White put them 1-0 up inside the first five minutes. The ball fell his way after a series of headers from a long throw and he was able to slot home from close range.
Forest looked good for their lead. Igor Jesus made a few good runs forward and had a couple of openings.
Crystal Palace tried to create chances of their own but their best came when a ball was played across the box and Daniel Munoz had a shot but it was blocked by Forest's Neco Williams.
Williams was then involved in the biggest moment of the match right on half time as Palace's Jefferson Lerma had a header that was going in but the Welsh defender prevented it from crossing the line with his hands.
The player could have no complaints and a red card and penalty followed.
Ismaila Sarr converted the spot kick to level the match at 1-1.
Forest struggled at first in the second half but they grew into the game again and were still able to create chances towards the end of the match.
Oliver Glasner's Palace could not manage a shot on target all second half, despite playing against the ten men of Forest.
Here are four takeaways from the match:
An early goal again
As was the case last week at Brentford, Dyche's side went ahead early in the match and this gave them a platform to build on and a lead to defend.
It was a big game for both sides as they looked to increase the gap to the relegation zone. Gibbs-White's early goal was the perfect start for the home side and suggested that they were fired up for the game.
Until the red card, Forest were looking comfortable and they had been able to deal with the threats posed by Palace.
Whilst a second goal would have gave them more of a cushion, they would have been confident that if they carried on as they were then they would be able to keep their shape and possibly secure a clean sheet.
Nonetheless, scoring early goals in games is a good habit to have and can set the trend for the rest of the game.
Defensive solidity
It was also another solid defensive performance from Dyche's men and the penalty was one of the few chances that they conceded.
With eleven men, they were well organised and Murillo was able to step forward into the midfield on several occasions and play positive, forward passes.
After going down to ten, **Morato**came on into the middle and Murillo went to left back but Forest still stood up to the challenge. It was a team performance and every player put in a shift to keep them in the match.
Before the game, new signing goalkeeper **Stefan Ortega**was welcomed by the City Ground crowd but he did not sign in time to make the matchday squad. Therefore, Angus Gunn came on to replace the injured Matz Sels in goal at half time.
It was Gunn's first appearance for Forest since signing last August and, whilst he was rarely tested and did not have too much to do in the second half, he kept a clean sheet on his debut.
No complaints over the red card
It was a moment of madness from Neco Williams. It is not often that a red card is shown for handball but the referee was left with no choice.
Williams was visibly distraught and he will be gutted that it happened at such a key moment in the game.
The red card, the penalty given and then the fact that the penalty was scored meant that Forest had well and truly been punished.
Ultimately, it provided Palace a route back into the match and then left the side from the East Midlands with work to do if they were to get back into it.
It is not impossible to compete with a reduced man but it is often a tough ask and teams inevitably react by going defensive.
Had the game stayed eleven against eleven, Forest may have held on or increased their lead but it was not to be.
At face value, a spirited display and a point with ten men is not a bad result and one that reflected the effort put in by the side to ensure that they did not lose.
What does it mean for the table?
Without the context, it could be viewed as a missed opportunity as Crystal Palace remain without a win in thirteen games across all competitions and they did not look like winning at the City Ground.
Had Forest won, they would have moved level on points with Palace and increased the gap to the drop zone significantly. It would also have dragged the London side further into the battle.
With West Ham losing on Saturday, a draw is not a disaster as Dyche's side also have a superior goal difference to the Hammers.
Forest are now level on points with Leeds United and face a tough test when they travel to Leeds on Friday. That is another big game in the relegation battle.