Crystal Palace took one step forward but fell two steps back.
Last weekend, a win over Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League felt like a turning point after a testing spell for Oliver Glasner and his project, and that was corroborated after half an hour at Selhurst Park against relegation-threatened Burnley.
Jorgen Strand Larsen fired in his first two goals for the club, but seven moments of madness before the break saw the Clarets take the lead. They held the lead from then on until the final whistle.
However, Burnley overturned a two-goal deficit and left south London with all the spoils, heightening the concerns around the Eagles' defence, having sold Marc Guehi and failed to replace him in the January transfer window.
Crystal Palace's defensive problems
Crystal Palace will feel that they have too much quality and too many points (32 with 12 games remaining) to fall into a relegation battle, but the form has been concerning for a while, and already, Guehi's leadership and presence in defence have been missed.
Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi
After all, the England star, who joined Manchester City for £20m ahead of his contract expiry, has won 64% of his duels in the Premier League this season, creating one chance every two matches.
Without him, Maxence Lacroix looks weaker, and Jefferson Lerma is flattering to deceive in a makeshift defensive role, the 31-year-old having lost 56% of his ground battles this year. Hardly convincing stuff.
Lerma nodded into his own net during first-half stoppage time in what proved to be the match-winning strike for the visitors. But that was not the extent of his struggle. In his defence, the Colombian is not a natural centre-half.
He was at fault against Burnley, but the defenders weren't the only players who failed to impress, with one man who didn't even start for Glasner drawing more criticism after a transfer which has yet to bear fruit.
Palace signing is looking like wasted money
When Crystal Palace paid £35m to Tottenham Hotspur for Wales international Brennan Johnson in January, it looked like great business for a talented and direct winger who had fallen by the wayside in north London.
Crystal Palace's Brennan Johnson looks dejected after the match
Johnson has struggled since the start of the season, and his fortunes haven't changed since his mid-term switch, yet to prove that Steve Parish has got bang for his buck, with his efforts to take on opponents and create for his teammates leaving much to be desired.
Palace-focused content creator HLTCO remarked during Johnson's Spurs days that the forward is a "nightmare to defend against" due to his "frightening pace", but that's not been applied in south London so far, to be sure.
Against Burnley, Johnson played just over half an hour of football, but he flattered to deceive and still searches for his duck-breaking goal, taking 20 touches against Scott Parker's men and losing the ball five times, only creating one chance and skewing a single shot off target.
Brennan Johnson's Premier League Form
Stats (* per 90)
Matches (starts)
Goals + Assists
Touches*
Shots (on target)*
Big chances missed
Accurate passes*
Chances created*
Succ. dribbles*
Ball recoveries*
Tackles*
Duels won*
Data via Sofascore
His statistics since the start of the 2024/25 Premier League season make for rather grim reading, and there's no denying that he needs an upswing.
There is an expectation that Johnson has what it takes to become a star for the Selhurst Park side, but he currently doesn't look like a player who can stand up and "take the baton", instead a player who must be spoon-fed chances if his goalscoring instincts are to be brought to the fore.
Of course, we can't write Johnson off just yet. The Welsh winger scored 18 goals across all competitions for Tottenham last season, including the winner in the Europa League final against Manchester United.
But he's been disappointing so far. Having signed for a bumper fee, Johnson has been disappointing. Strand Larsen looks a real threat in the final third, and while he arrived for a club-record £48m fee, the Norwegian striker was at the front of an imperilled Wolves outfit for the first half of the season.
Johnson, meanwhile, is still searching.
Daichi Kamada for Crystal Palace Related
Crystal Palace already have a Kamada replacement who's their original Wharton
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