LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 19: Mile Jedinak of Crystal Palace celebrates with team mates after scoring the first goal from the penalty spot during the Barclays Premier League match between West Ham United and Crystal Palace at Boleyn Ground on April 19, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images)Steve Bardens/Getty Images

Premier League Week 35 Standout Stats: Crystal Palace Boast Second-Best EPL Form

Crippy CookeApr 20, 2014

It was another fantastic Saturday afternoon for Crystal Palace, who mathematically have now confirmed their Premier League status for next season.

After looking down and out earlier on in the campaign, the Eagles have been a completely different outfit since manager Tony Pulis arrived in November, highlighted by Sky Sports feature writer Adam Bate.

With the upturn in form, they certainly deserve a lot of recognition for their achievements of late, so let’s review Crystal Palace’s standout stats from Week 35 of the Premier League.

Following their 1-0 win against West Ham on Saturday, Crystal Palace found themselves second in the form rankings, with five wins from their last five in the league.

The victory also meant they have confirmed their Premier League status for next season after finishing the day 13 points clear of the drop zone with just three games still to play.

Palace earned their 12th clean sheet of the season and now boast a better defensive record over the course of the campaign than the likes of Liverpool, Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur, with 41 goals conceded.

Pulis has now done the double over West Ham and manager Sam Allardyce by the same 1-0 scoreline in 2013/14, first beating them at the beginning of December.

It sees Crystal Palace in 11th place in the Premier League, with 43 points from 35 games. A phenomenal turnaround considering the Eagles were second-to-bottom of the table with just seven points before Pulis took over.

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and his old employer Peter Coates, chairman of Stoke City, can take some credit after it was revealed, via the Mirror, that the pair persuaded him to take the managerial position.

Pulis has even been earmarked to win the Manager of the Year award as deserved recognition for Palace’s turnaround, according to his defender Scott Dann, who spoke to the Daily Mail. But he’s only an outside favourite with Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers ahead of him, per Oddschecker.

The Welshman boasts a 1.56 points per game record, which is better than Alan Pardew (Newcastle) and Mauricio Pochettino (Southampton). Based on the above, Palace would currently be eighth in the Premier League table had Pulis have been in charge from the start of the season.