EVERGREEN Kevin Phillips celebrated his 200th career league goal - but a player at the other end of the age spectrum denied Albion a third successive Championship win.
The 34-year-old Baggies striker broke the deadlock after 30 minutes with a superbly taken goal - his 20th of the season - only for the hosts to get pegged back ten minutes into the second half.
Seventeen-year-old winger Victor Moses did the damage with his first senior goal.
Albion piled on the pressure during the final 20 minutes but just could not find a way past Eagles keeper Julian Speroni.
Tony Mowbray's men started the game in fourth spot - six places and eight points better off than the play-off chasing Eagles.
Mowbray made two changes from the FA Cup quarter-final win at Bristol Rovers, with top scorer Phillips and Zoltan Gera coming in for benched duo Roman Bednar and James Morrison.
Palace came with a clear plan to stifle the division's top scorers, stringing five men across midfield and deploying Carl Fletcher as a man-to-man marker on skipper Jonathan Greening.
But that did not stop the Baggies creating the game's first chance in the seventh minute.
A double one-two between Gera and Phillips resulted in the latter dragging an 18-yard effort just wide.
Albion went close again in the 12th minute when Ishmael Miller spun his marker and saw his low cross narrowly evade Greening on the edge of the six-yard box.
The first chorus of 'Que Sera, Sera' rang around The Hawthorns in the 15th minute - seconds after Gera had failed to trouble Speroni with an ambitious 30-yard shot.
Goalscoring chances had been few and far between thus far but Phillips went close when he got between two Palace defenders and directed a downward header from Greening's cross into the side-netting.
The South Londoners did not record their first effort on goal until the 29th minute when Tom Soares glanced a header straight at Dean Kiely from Shaun Derry's diagonal ball into the box.
But Albion stormed upfield and broke the deadlock.
Paul Robinson charged forward and found Phillips with a defence-splitting pass. The former England striker brought it under control before dinking the ball over the advancing Speroni and into the empty net.
After a lull in the action, Albion were forced into an early change five minutes before the break when James Morrison came on for the injured Chris Brunt.
And Morrison produced the final meaningful moment of the half, spinning Matt Lawrence on the edge of the box before firing straight at Speroni.
Before referee Peter Walton blew for half-time, Palace namesake Clinton Morrison also entered the fray as a replacement for the limping Soares.
Albion suffered another injury blow during the interval, with Do-Heon Kim replacing James Morrison, who had been on the pitch less than ten minutes.
The Korea Republic international moved into central midfield and tried his luck at goal inside 20 seconds, firing just wide from 35 yards.
Palace had been much more positive since going a goal down and produced their best moment to date in the 52nd minute.
Clint Hill ghosted in at the back post to head Ben Watson's free-kick inches past the far post.
The visitors drew level three minutes later.
Jamie Scowcroft rose above the Albion defence to head Hill's left-wing cross down to the unmarked Moses who tucked the ball past the helpless Kiely.
That proved the teenager's final contribution as he too was forced to leave the field in the 61st minute through injury. He was replaced by Shaun Scannell.
Albion had now lost their rhythm and were struggling to get anywhere near Speroni's goal.
Mowbray moved to inject new life into his side by replacing Gera with Luke Moore in the 68th minute.
The Baggies finally began to build up some momentum and Speroni just managed to gather Miller's 30-yard pile-driver at the second attempt before Moore could pounce.
Seconds later, Speroni had to dive full stretch to his left to push away Kim's 20-yard dipping shot.
Albion kept piling forward and Moore headed Robinson's terrific centre over from ten yards.
Miller then collected Kim's neat pass just inside the box and thundered the ball inches over from 15 yards.
The Palace keeper again had to have his wits about him three minutes from time to keep out Phillips' 20-yard shot, which took a wicked deflection off Hill.
Despite spending the remainder of the game camped in the Palace half, the Baggies could not fashion a winning goal.
ALBION (4-4-2): Kiely; Hodgkiss, Barnett, Albrechtsen, P Robinson; Gera (Moore 68), Koren, Greening, Brunt (J Morrison 40 (Kim HT)); Phillips, Miller. Subs not used: Bednar, Martis.
PALACE (4-1-4-1): Speroni; Lawrence, Fonte, Hudson, Hill; Fletcher; Moses (Scannell 61), Derry, Watson (Hughes 88), Soares (C Morrison 45+3); Scowcroft. Subs not used: Hills, A Robinson.
GOALS: ALBION - Phillips (30). PALACE - Moses (55).
BOOKINGS: ALBION - Gera (foul 32).
REFEREE: P Walton (Northamptonshire).
ATTENDANCE: 20,378.
ALBION STARMAN: Paul Robinson.
PIC: 200 CLUB...Phillips celebrates his milestone strike
