Hotels for Crystal Palace v Leeds United

A final-day fixture in the top flight, when every club in the division kicks off at the same moment and scoreboards elsewhere matter as much as the pitch in front of you. Crowds arrive early, songs start before kick-off, and phones stay out for news from other grounds all afternoon. Whatever is still to be settled in the table by this point will decide how loud the final whistle actually is.

Crystal Palace's roots reach back to 1861, making the club, in one form, among those that helped found the Football Association and the FA Cup, though the professional club familiar today was established in 1905. Known as the Glaziers for decades — a nod to the glass-built Crystal Palace exhibition hall — the club became the Eagles under manager Malcolm Allison, who drew on Portuguese side Benfica for the new badge and identity.

That long history had gone entirely without a major trophy until 17 May 2025, when Eberechi Eze's first-half strike and a Dean Henderson penalty save beat Manchester City 1-0 in the FA Cup final, delivering Palace's first major honour after more than a century of trying.

Crystal Palace's home in south London is a proper neighbourhood ground, famous for one of the league's loudest and most colourful home ends. Selhurst sits among the residential streets of southeast London, with the bars and markets of Croydon a short ride away and central London within easy reach. Selhurst, Norwood Junction and Thornton Heath stations all serve the ground, each a few minutes' walk. Staying centrally or around Croydon keeps transport simple and lets you ride the rail straight into the matchday bustle.