Crewe lifted themselves to the fringes of the First Division play offs with their first ever victory - 3-1 - at Selhurst Park.
Two goals from Dean Ashton and a first from Luke Varney saw off a poor Crystal Palace side whose reply came from Danny Butterfield.
For Palace caretaker manager Kit Symons, the honeymoon period is over. He restored Dougie Freedman and Wayne Routledge to his starting 11 but found his team two goals adrift inside the first 16 minutes.
Man of the match Kenny Lunt's simple pass found Ashton who rather easily turned Symon's and shot past Thomas Myhre’s outstretched hand from 20 yards.
He should have scored earlier, narrowly missing Steve Jones’ cross in the fifth minute.
Varney scored Crewe's second goal, on his full debut, after 16 minutes.
Freedman gave the ball away in the Crewe half, Lunt then freed the young winger, who outpaced Gary Borrowdale down the inside right channel before lifting his shot over the advancing Myhre from 12 yards.
He almost repeated this feat four minutes later, but Borrowdale just got a block in.
Crewe should have extended their lead just before half-time, but Foster blazed over from close range following a corner. This after Myhre superbly tipped away a Lunt free-kick.
Palace were simply woeful in the first half and they did improve after the break.
Routledge did cause Crewe problems, his best effort being a 20-yard volley that unfortunately went straight into the arms of Clayton Ince in Crewe's goal.
Varney and Lunt both could have extended the Railwaymen’s lead before Butterfield cut the deficit.
Freedman worked himself well into the right-hand corner of the box before laying the ball off to the midfielder, who drove his shot into the top corner from 12 yards.
However, six minutes later, Ashton settled it. Symons conceded a free-kick on the left wing, Lunt curled it in, Myhre got caught in no mans land and Ashton's header looped in.
