The headlines from Palace’s 3-3 weekend draw were dominated by Jean-Philippe Mateta, and how aside from his hat-trick, he missed a glorious chance to win the game with its last kick.
With that miss perhaps still in his mind, he squandered arguably an even bigger chance in the opening stages here, scuffing a volley into the ground and onto the crossbar when Zlatan Alomerović dropped the ball at his feet six yards from goal.
Without Adam Wharton in midfield, Palace lacked a little guile at times, a point evidenced by centre-back Jaydee Canvot taking a wild strike from all of 40 yards which, although didn’t go too far wide, had an air of desperation about it.
It was a case of job done for Larnaca as far as the first half went, as their low block was frustrating the Eagles and they managed to get into the break with their clean sheet intact.
Their defensive resistance ought to have been broken within five minutes of the restart when a well-worked short corner ended with Will Hughes planting a perfect cross onto the head of Maxence Lacroix, but his header from six yards drifted narrowly wide of the post.
His miss looked even more costly just moments later too, as a defensive mix-up from Palace allowed Riad Bajić in on goal, and he made no mistake in firing high into the roof of Dean Henderson’s net.
Palace boss Oliver Glasner had seen enough by that point and turned to his bench to introduce Eddie Nketiah in place of one of his three centre-backs.
The former Arsenal frontman created a glorious chance for Palace to get back on level terms when he cut the ball back for the unmarked Mateta six yards from goal, but his ferocious drive was repelled by Alomerović at point-blank range.
Chances were continually coming and going for Palace, with Nketiah the next to spurn one as he headed another pinpoint Hughes delivery wide of the target.
When Mateta couldn’t quite get a toe on Adam Wharton’s teasing delivery, and Nketiah could only kick fresh air from inside the six-yard box when he had the goal at his mercy, it seemed abundantly clear it wouldn’t be Palace’s evening.
It proved that way too, as Glasner’s men fell to a home defeat for the first time since February.
Larnaca were winless on the road in Europe before tonight, but ended that run in spectacular fashion at the home of the favourites to win the competition.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Hrvoje Miličević (AEK Larnaca)