Zian Flemming’s first goal for the club in the last minute saw the Blues to a 3-2 victory over 10-man Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. The home side took the lead on 14 through Anan Khalaili, before Emersonn levelled nine minutes later, then Axel Disasi was dismissed for a high boot on Jack Clarke. Leif Davis put Town ahead just before the break, but the Blues’ performance drifted in the second half and Jorgen Strand Larsen equalised on 75, however, Flemming followed up Davis’s header against the bar to win it in the final scheduled minute.

Clarke was handed his first Premier League start of the season for Daizen Maeda on the left of the attack with the Japanese international dropping to the bench.

There were further changes on the bench with Darnell Furlong and Kasey McAteer absent and Jaden Philogene, back from his ankle injury, and Chuba Akpom coming into the 20.

For Palace, keeper Dean Henderson was missing from the squad with Walter Benitez starting and making his second Premier League appearance having kept a clean sheet in the 3-0 Carabao Cup victory over Middlesbrough in midweek.

Centre-half Jaydee Canvot was also absent with new loan signing Honest Ahanor replacing him and making his Premier League debut, also having played in the Carabao Cup tie against Boro.

Striker Eddie Nketiah was also not in the squad with Strand Larsen replacing him in the XI.

The game kicked off at 3pm as scheduled, despite Town requesting that it be put back due to their late arrival, their coach having got caught in traffic.

Town started scruffily, keeper Kjell Scherpen and skipper Dara O’Shea, who was making his 100th Premier League appearance, both putting the ball straight out of play.

Scherpen then dealt with a corner from the right, getting a strong fist on it and sending it out of play.

On seven, the Dutch keeper sent Clarke away on the left with a quick throw to halfway, but the break ultimately came to nothing.

The Blues began to see most of the ball, Abdul Fatawu getting round the outside of his man on the right, then Clarke doing the same on the left but with both crosses cut out.

There was a scare for Town on 10 when Scherpen’s misplaced pass out of his area was picked up by Adam Wharton, but the England international scuffed straight back to the keeper.

Two minutes later, Khalaili headed over at the back post from a Tyrick Mitchell cross from the left.

And in the 14th minute, Khalaili, a player who is understood to have been the subject of a Town offer in the summer prior to his move to the Eagles, put the home side in front.

Left-back Davis had moved inside and the Israeli international wing-back was allowed acres of space to receive a pass from Daichi Kamada before smashing a powerful shot across Scherpen and into the corner of the net.

Two minutes after going in front, Palace threatened again, Strand Larsen volleying to Scherpen’s left and the keeper batting it away.

The Eagles dominated having gone in front but in the 23rd minute the Blues levelled. Fatawu overhit a cross from the right, Davis keeping it in before hooking back to Clarke, who in turn moved it back to Exequiel Palacios.

It was then returned to Clarke, who fed in the previously retreating Davis on the overlap, the left-back sending over a superb cross which an unmarked Emersonn nodded in from just outside the six-yard box to level. The Palace players claimed offside but after a VAR check the goal was given, Mitchell slightly deeper than his teammates and playing Davis onside.

Neither side created a serious opportunity before the Eagles were reduced to 10 men in the 35th minute when Disasi was shown a straight red card.

Emersonn chested the ball down to Clarke just inside the Town half, the winger taking a touch before centre-half Disasi arrived late and caught him with his studs up on his knee. Referee Chris Kavanagh showed no hesitation in issuing his red card with a VAR check and the video footage backing up the decision.

Palace immediately made a change, forward Yeremy Pino making way for central defender Takehiro Tomiyasu.

Enciso forced an error on the left of the Palace box as they looked to play out but the Paraguayan and then Emersonn were both unable to work space for a shot and in the end Benitez claimed a tame cross.

Clarke was booked somewhat harshly for a foul on Wharton, but unsurprisingly, given their superior numbers, the Blues were dominating and in the final scheduled minute they went in front.

Fatawu and O’Shea worked an opportunity for the Irish international to cross from the byline on the right, the Blues’ skipper finding Emersonn with his chipped ball. The Brazilian flicked a header presumably towards the far corner but wide, however, he found Davis, who nodded back across Benitez and into the net, the full-back’s second away goal of the season.

The Town fans cheered their side off at the break, while the home support was somewhat more muted, their team having gone from a promising position to having a mountain to climb in the second half.

The Blues were starting to get on top when Palace went in front, Clarke appearing to have allowed Khalaili a free run down the flank.

Town’s well-worked equaliser similarly came against the general run of play, before on-loan Chelsea defender Disasi’s red card, which was as stonewall a dismissal as they come.

The Blues dominated from there, Emersonn returning the favour to Davis for the earlier assist - although perhaps not intentionally - to give the visitors the lead at half-time.

Six minutes after the restart, Emersonn did well to turn away from two men in front of the Town support before breaking into the right of the area but shot well over.

On 53, Greaves hit a long ball forward which everyone other than Enciso appeared to give up on. But the Paraguayan reached it, cut inside Chris Richards and played inside to Fatawu, however, the Ghanaian international opted to take a touch onto his left foot rather than shooting with his right and the chance was snuffed out.

Town continued to threaten, although without always looking at their most composed, and in the 55th minute a well-worked move from the right ended with Clarke hitting a low shot from the edge which Benitez claimed with little fanfare.

Two minutes later, Fatawu was booked for a foul on Ahanor eight yards outside the Blues area. The free-kick was looped dangerously into the box but Greaves did very well to chest it back to Scherpen with the home fans behind the goal optimistically claiming handball.

Town made a triple change on 62, Philogene, Maeda and Zian Flemming taking over from Clarke, Fatawu and Emersonn, who had gone down holding his thigh moments earlier. Philogene went to the left and Maeda to the right.

Three minutes later, Enciso broke quickly following a Palace free-kick, the Paraguayan doing well before hitting a shot which struck Palacios and looped wide when a pass to Philogene or another teammate would have been a better option.

On 68, the Blues gave possession away just inside their half and then failed to get it away before Quinten Timber lashed wildly over from an angle on the left of the box.

Sasa Lukic was booked for a foul in the 70th minute, then did well to defend the free-kick when it was played low into the path of Strand Larsen, the Norwegian reacting angrily to the Serbian for reasons which appeared unclear other than perhaps to get a reaction from the recently booked midfielder.

The Blues continued to make heavy weather of seeing the game out, Scherpen saving from Timber, then O’Shea making a superb saving challenge on the right of the area.

And in the 75th minute the Eagles levelled. Kamada played a ball into Strand Larsen’s feet, the striker taking the ball across Issa Diop, before shooting low to Scherpen’s right and into the net.

Having got back on terms, the Eagles swapped Mitchell and skipper Wharton for Ben Chilwell and Will Hughes, while Town switched Lukic for Florentino Luis, making his debut for the club.

On 79, Hughes sent over a cross from the left which Scherpen failed to deal with, the ball reaching Khalaili, who, fortunately for Town, blazed deep into the fans behind the goal.

The Blues looked to regain their early control and composure, Philogene cutting in and shooting straight at Benitez in the 82nd minute.

A minute later, Philogene’s underhit corner fell to Flemming, but the Dutch striker’s shot was flying well wide and Enciso did well to keep it in, Town not managing to make anything more out of it.

The home side continued to look as much of a threat as the Blues, if not more, despite the lack of numbers before they took off Kamada and Strand Larsen on 84, replacing them with Jefferson Lerma and Zavier Gozo.

Town withdrew Greaves for Abdoul Ouattara four minutes later, the Ivorian going to right-back and O’Shea into the centre.

And in the final scheduled minute of the game, the Blues won it. Enciso crossed deep from the right, Davis’s brilliant looping header beat Benitez but struck the top of the bar and Flemming was first to react to cleverly steer it back across the keeper and into the net to send the Town fans over to his right wild and the home supporters into stunned silence.

The third Blues goal appeared to knock the stuffing out of the Eagles and their response was rather half-hearted, a late deep ball into Scherpen’s arms raising a big cheer from the visiting fans before an even bigger one when referee Kavanagh blew his whistle.

Three big points for Town but there’s no escaping the fact that they made heavy weather of it in the second half.

After the opposition were reduced to 10 men and then gone in front, the Blues dominated spells either side of the break but without adding to their goals - and they had one or two chances to do so - before their display drifted badly following their substitutions, allowing Palace back into the game and then to get on terms.

Town really hadn’t shown too many signs of restoring their lead when man of the match Davis’s brilliant header led to Flemming’s very well-taken first goal for the club and a first win at Selhurst Park since August 2010 under Roy Keane.

As in previous games, the Blues were good in spells, disappointing in others, but most importantly claimed their second win of the season and first on the road to end a run of two defeats on the bounce and maintain the early season positive momentum.

Town, who last came from a goal down to win in the Premier League at Spurs in December 2001, travel to Everton next Saturday sitting seventh in the division with a Carabao Cup tie against Arsenal at Portman Road on Tuesday.

Palace: Benitez, Kalaili, Richards, Disasi, Ahanor, Mitchell (Chilwell 77), Wharton (c) (Hughes 77), Timber, Pino (Tomiyasu 37), Kamada (Lerma 84), Strand Larsen (Gozo 84). Unused: Matthews, Mingueza, Doucoure, McNeil. 

Town: Scherpen, O’Shea (c), Diop, Greaves (Ouattara 88), Davis, Lukic (Florentino 77), Palacios, Fatawu (Maeda 62), Enciso, Clarke (Philogene 62), Emersonn (Flemming 62). Unused: Walton, Kipre, Nunez, Akpom. Referee: Chris Kavanagh (Lancashire). Assistants: Dan Cook and Bhupinder Singh Gill. Fourth official: Tim Robinson. VAR: Craig Pawson. Assistant: Adrian Holmes.

Photo: Reuters