As the Eagles faced Manchester United in the quarter-finals of the then-Carling Cup, Darren Ambrose took to the turf as a half-time substitute looking to liven up an uneventful evening.
Twenty minutes after coming on, the midfielder displayed his most striking attribute on live TV when, collecting the ball from Wilfried Zaha not far from the centre circle, he roamed forward and, having glanced up, drove home one of the finest efforts ever seen from a Palace player.
The ball sailed through the air for an eternity as it travelled over 30 yards to tear past Ben Amos and into the United net.
"NOT A BAD EFFORT..."
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) December 14, 2019
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The night would go on to improve even further for Palace, but not after a slight blip as the fans’ celebrations after taking the opener died down. In fact, the Eagles managed to hold their lead for all of four minutes, when Federico Macheda struck home from 12 yards.
Extra time beckoned for the pair of clubs vying to reach the League Cup’s semi-finals and it would take just eight minutes to split the Red Devils from Dougie Freedman’s determined Eagles.
Glenn Murray, who had squandered a chance as normal time drew to a close, nodded an Ambrose free-kick beyond Amos in trademark fashion and, in doing so, secured a Crystal Palace victory over Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United.
The Eagles earned progression to the League Cup’s penultimate stage, but that evening in Manchester will always be remembered for Ambrose and another of his thunderous goals.
Reckon Ambrose’s stunner is the greatest moment Crystal Palace has enjoyed over the last decade? Or does something else edge it out? Vote below!
