On the evidence provided here against Sheffield Wednesday, who arrived as the division's bottom team, their play-off hopes seem to be fading.
Wednesday stuck to their task of stifling Palace and hoping for something on the break.
It was up to the home side to show some invention and apart from some individual skill from Tommy Black, Palace summarily, failed to find any.
Palaces only real pressure came in the five added minutes at the end of the second half, mainly to make up for one of the referees assistants being replaced after injury.
Black's fine run into the box saw Paul Evans the Wednesday keeper just tip his shot against the bar.
There was still time for Danny Granville to have a goalbound shot deflected for a corner to. From it, Hayden Mullins' shot was blocked possibly by a hand although Trevor Francis the manager did not think it was a penalty.
All this after a vapid 90 minutes that produced little action, with the best chance of the first half falling to the visitors' Ashley Westwood, who headed straight at Cedric Berthelin with a free header at the far post.
Palace were a little better after the break mostly prompted by Black, as his cross was nearly headed over his own keeper by Dean Smith on his debut after 80 minutes.
Alan Quinn nearly capped an effective day with a goal two minutes from time but his 20-yarder was just over and the point Wednesday gained was sufficient to lift them off the bottom of the table.