Left-back Ryan McGivern swung in the teasing cross that allowed Norway’s Jonathan Parr to nip in and head past Lee Grant to put Palace in front with only ten minutes gone.
Blues team-mates Ben Mee and Keiran Trippier, in the visiting defence, knew they were heading back to Lancashire empty-handed when Owen Garvan converted a second-half penalty.
It wasn’t a happy weekend up in Scotland either for goalkeeper David Gonzalez, who was beaten three times by hosts Hearts’ Arvydas Novikovas and John Sutton (two) as Aberdeen succumbed.
Mohamed Abu and his Norwegian team Stromsgodset went down 2-0 against Stabaek at the Telenor Arena.
Michael Johnson, meanwhile, could only watch as Sven Goran Erikkson’s Leicester tumbled 2-0 at home to fellow Championship promotion hopefuls.
