On the opening day of a season which ended in promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs, Palace provided a glimpse of the battling spirit which would serve them well in 2003/04, with three points in the unlikeliest of circumstances.
A ferocious heat wave was the backdrop to a fiery game. Then under the stewardship of Steve Kember, the Eagles started the season with a bang, going ahead after just five minutes when Burnley’s Lee Roche fouled Freedman inside the box.
The Scotsman picked himself up, dusted himself down, and struck home from the spot.
But five minutes later, Palace were left reeling: Wayne Routledge’s trip on Luke Chadwick led to not only a red card, but a free-kick which Robbie Blake smashed home for the equaliser.
With 80 minutes to play and the scores level, Palace were at a man’s disadvantage – and it got even worse when Roche rocketed Burnley in front from 20 yards minutes later.
Nevertheless, Palace remained spirited in their fight, and were on level terms once more on 32 minutes when Freedman collected Ben Watson’s pass, beat a defender and rounded goalkeeper Brian Jensen before slotting home.
Into the second half Palace fought on, the defensive duo of Darren Powell and Tony Popovic repelling waves of home pressure.
And they got their reward for their perseverance in the 67th minute when Andrew Johnson’s shot was spilled by Jensen into the path of Freedman, who turned the ball home from three years out to complete a remarkable hat-trick.