History suggests beleaguered Crystal Palace face a tooth-and-nail fight for Premier League survival if they do not open their account in their next three games.

New manager Roy Hodgson stepped into the lion’s den when he replaced Frank de Boer at Selhurst Park and having lost his first game against Burnley, Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea now stand between the Eagles and a first point of the season.

In the Premier League era, six sides have reached the eight-game mark with only one or two points to show for their efforts – and three of them have gone on to be relegated.

Here, we take a look at the challenge ahead of Palace.

1995/96: Manchester City

(Matthew Ashton/Empics)

City’s campaign started with a 1-1 home draw against Tottenham but went downhill from there as successive defeats to Coventry, QPR, Everton, Arsenal, Newcastle, Middlesbrough and Nottingham Forest left them deep in trouble. They went on to win nine games but were relegated on goal difference along with QPR and Bolton.

Points after eight games: 1

Finishing position: 18th

1998/99: Southampton

(Steve White/Empics)

The Saints had to wait until September 19 to collect their first point of the season with a 1-1 draw, also against Spurs. They had lost their opening five games to Liverpool, Charlton, Nottingham Forest, Leeds and Newcastle and later emerged from clashes with West Ham and Manchester United empty-handed but ultimately went on to finish 17th and stay up by five points.

Points after eight games: 1

Finishing position: 17th

1999/2000: Sheffield Wednesday

(Nick Potts/Empics)

The point Wednesday gained from a 1-1 draw at Bradford was the only one they managed in their first seven games with Liverpool Manchester United, Tottenham, Derby, Southampton and Everton all emerging victorious. However, it was in the eighth game that the wheels really started to come off as new Newcastle boss Sir Bobby Robson led his side to an 8-0 rout in which Alan Shearer scored five times and the Owls’ recovery came up five points short.

Points after eight games: 1

Finishing position: 19th

2008/09: Tottenham

(Joe Giddens/Empics)

A star-studded Spurs side which included the likes of Jonathan Woodgate, Luka Modric, Gareth Bale and Darren Bent laboured through the opening weeks of the campaign, losing to Middlesbrough, Sunderland, Aston Villa, Portsmouth, Hull and Stoke either side of draws with Chelsea and Wigan in a run which eventually cost manager Juande Ramos his job. Under replacement Harry Redknapp, they won five of the next eight to begin a surge up the table which resulted in an eighth-place finish.

Points after eight games: 2

Finishing position: 8th

2013/14: Sunderland

(Richard Sellers/Empics)

Having performed heroics to keep the Black Cats up at the end of the previous season, controversial manager Paolo di Canio lasted just five games of the new campaign as defeats by Fulham, Arsenal, Crystal Palace and West Brom either side of a 1-1 draw at Southampton did for him. Caretaker Kevin Ball presided over further reverses at the hands of Liverpool and Manchester United before Gus Poyet endured a 4-0 defeat at Swansea in his first game at the helm before steering the club to the League Cup final and then safety courtesy of a remarkable late run.

Points after eight games: 1

Finishing position: 14th

2016/17: Sunderland

FULL-TIME Sunderland 0-1 Bournemouth. The Black Cats are relegated after Josh King strikes late for the visitors #SUNBOU pic.twitter.com/Dd009LgW8Q — Premier League (@premierleague) April 29, 2017

Draws against Southampton and West Brom were all new Sunderland boss David Moyes had to show for his early efforts at the Stadium of Light with Manchester City, Middlesbrough, Everton, Tottenham, Crystal Palace and Stoke all collecting three points. Moyes had to wait until a trip to Bournemouth on November 5 for his first league win but only five more would follow as the perennial top-flight strugglers played with fire once too often.

Points after eight games: 2

Finishing position: 20th

The way forward

(Daniel Hambury/PA)

Palace’s plight is exacerbated by the fact they have failed to score a single league goal to date and that is a failing Hodgson must address as a matter of urgency. However, next opponents Manchester City and Manchester United have conceded only twice and scored 16 while Chelsea have dropped just two points since the opening day and Newcastle’s three successive wins have come at a cost of a single goal against. If the former England manager has to wait until West Ham’s visit to Selhurst on October 28 for a first point, his team will have acquired an unwelcome record with Portsmouth in 2009/10 the only team to have gone seven Premier League games without a point.