Palace had began their 2011/12 season in the Football League Championship with a 2-1 opening-day defeat away at Peterborough United, but recovered to see off Burnley 2-0 at Selhurst Park the following week.
Three days later, Dougie Freedman’s Eagles welcomed to SE25 a Coventry City team – managed by former Palace defender Andy Thorn – with a point to prove, having suffered single-goal defeats it both their opening fixtures.
In front of just over 12,000 supporters at Selhurst Park, the game got off to a relatively dour start, neither side producing a shot on target in the first half.
But it was the away team who struck first shortly after half-time with a bizarre opener. Lukas Jukiewicz challenged Julian Speroni for a deflected cross, and the ball was subsequently adjudged to have crossed the line.
The goal brought the game to life, Palace mounting an immediate response as Sean Scannell was denied by goalkeeper Joe Murphy and substitute Wilfried Zaha fired wide when well-placed.
Roy O’Donovan, Paddy McCarthy and Zaha all went close as the second half ticked on, but it looked like all of Palace’s efforts would come to nothing as the clock ticked into injury time.
Then, the summer’s evening ignited.