The recent progression of Crystal Palace into the Europa Conference League quarter-finals has served as a powerful retrospective on the magnitude of West Ham United’s historic 2023 campaign. While the “Irons” made their journey to the trophy look effortless, the current struggles of other English sides suggest that the competition is far more treacherous than many pundits initially admitted.
The direct comparison between the two London clubs’ encounters with AEK Larnaca is particularly telling. In the 2023 round of 16, David Moyes’ side dismantled the Cypriot outfit with a commanding 6-0 aggregate scoreline. In stark contrast, Oliver Glasner’s Palace side found the same opponent a much tougher nut to crack. Following a stale 0-0 draw at Selhurst Park, the Eagles were forced into a grueling extra-time period on Thursday night. It eventually took their opponents being reduced to nine men for Palace to scrape a 2-1 victory and secure their place in the next round.
At the time of West Ham’s triumph, the achievement was frequently met with a “shoulder shrug” from the media and rival supporters. Because the Conference League is Europe’s tertiary competition, the Hammers’ self-proclaimed title of “Champions of Europe” was often mocked. Critics utilized the dismissive “my Nan could’ve won that” narrative, conveniently forgetting that West Ham had to navigate past established European heavyweights such as Fiorentina, AZ Alkmaar, and Anderlecht.
However, Palace’s current trajectory exposes the inherent difficulty of balancing domestic duties with the unique challenges of continental travel and knockout football. Unlike West Ham, who topped their group with ease, Palace failed to qualify directly for the round of 16, requiring a preliminary playoff win against Bosnia’s Zrinjski Mostar just to reach the knockout stages.
Furthermore, West Ham’s 2023 run remains an anomaly of perfection. They completed the entire tournament without a single defeat—a feat that no other club, regardless of their country of origin, has ever managed in this competition. Even if Crystal Palace or a giant like Chelsea eventually lifts the trophy, they will have already fallen short of the “Invincible” standard set by David Moyes’ squad.
It is particularly ironic that the current holders of England’s most prestigious domestic trophy, the FA Cup, are finding the “lowly” Conference League such a difficult mountain to climb. As the seasons pass, the sheer dominance shown by West Ham during their European conquest looks less like a fluke and more like a masterclass in tournament management. The struggles of their Premier League peers are living proof that winning in Europe—at any level—is never as easy as it looks on paper.
