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Any lingering hopes that Shelbourne might sneak their way into the Europa Conference League knockout rounds were quickly extinguished on Thursday night.
Premier League side Crystal Palace raced into a 3-0 half-time lead and to secure at least a play-off spot, and keep alive their hopes of a top-eight finish and qualification for the last-16.
Palace boss Oliver Glasner put out a stronger than expected side against Shels, including seven of his starters in last weekend’s 2-1 win away to Fulham, while two more of his 11 came off the bench at Craven Cottage.
And the reigning FA Cup holders were quick to flex their muscles in front of 10,143 fans at Tallaght Stadium, particularly during a first-half display in which they showcased their speed and ability to move the ball with pace and precision.
Christantus Uche opened the scoring after just 11 minutes, while Eddie Nketiah doubled their advantage and Yeremy Pino made sure of it with eight minutes still to play in the opening period.
Shels found the tempo too hard to deal with at times, but were still left to curse the concession of some soft goals.
Palace’s opener came from some zippy passes, but twice they extended an invitation to their hosts to stop them in their tracks.
They moved the ball quickly from Marc Guehi inside his own half to Daichi Kamada, and on first-time to Nketiah, a pass that fizzed within intercepting distance of Mark Coyle.
Nketiah’s low cross was clinically finished by Uche from 15 yards, giving Shels goalkeeper Wessel Speel no chance.
But the cross only reached Uche after it went through the legs of retreating Reds defender Paddy Barrett.
The second on 25 minutes saw Palace accept an early Christmas gift from their hosts and then turn on the turbo thrusters.
When Evan Caffrey nodded Kerr McInroy’s cross-field pass straight into the path of Pino, the Spaniard quickly slipped a through ball into the path of Uche.
He stabbed it past the advancing Speel, but was denied a second goal by the woodwork, and Nketiah was on hand to fire home the rebound from two yards.
The England international was so eager to deliver the killer blow that he almost ended up in the net before the ball.
Palace got their third in the 37th minute when Pino ghosted past Kameron Ledwidge and found himself with a clear run into the Shelbourne penalty area.
With no one there to close him down, Pino had all the time in the world to pick out the bottom left hand corner from 15 yards.
Shels boss Joey O’Brien cut a frustrated figure on the bench as his side failed to make Palace work too hard for their comprehensive half-time lead.
In fairness to the Dublin side, the pace of their Premier League opponents’ play was often hard to live with.
Their speed was key at both ends of the pitch - and was particularly notable from a defensive point of view during one early Shels attack.
Sean Boyd raced onto a long ball forward but before he could fashion a shooting opportunity he was swarmed by retreating defenders Guehi and Chris Richards.
Palace were so quick to snuff out any danger that when Barrett and McInroy found themselves within range of goal, they were forced to hurry their shots and, as a result, were well off target.
Perhaps there was an element of stage fright when Reds substitute Daniel Kelly, who is no slouch, found himself one on one with Maxence Lacroix just past the midway point in the second-half.
An experienced European campaigner, he panicked and sent a heavy touch straight to goalkeeper Walter Benitez.
Palace too sometimes lacked composure in the final third, with a handful of decent chances to extend their lead being spurned.
Adam Wharton fired over, Uche then opened up his body to try and steer a Nketiah cross inside the far post, but the contact was far too heavy, and Northern Ireland international Justin Devenny headed over from a Pino delivery.
Borna Sosa had acres of space on the left-hand-side of the area shortly before half-time when he was picked out by a delightful Uche ball, but he drilled his shot straight at Speel.
Nketiah should have had a second goal shortly after the restart when Kameron Ledwidge’s backpass dragged a little on the sodden surface, on its way back to Speel.
Sosa was right on top of the goalkeeper as he attempted to lash the ball clear, and it ricocheted off the Croatian across goal to Nketiah, just beyond the far post.
Rather than gamble with a first-time finish into an empty net, his effort to control the ball gave Speel enough time to race across and make the save.
Both managers emptied their benches during a second-half that was far less fluid than the first, and while Kelly was desperate to make the most of his opportunity at one end, it was a Palace substitute that came closest to adding to the scoreline.
Romain Esse collected a pass from Uche and steered his shot low beyond the outstretched left hand of Speel.
Esse could barely believe it as the ball smacked the inside of the right-hand-post, bounced across the line and struck the left upright, and rolled back across the line and into the arms of the Shels goalkeeper.
SHELBOURNE: Wessel Speel; Milan Mbeng (Lewis Temple 81), Mark Coyle (Sean Gannon 75), Paddy Barrett, Kameron Ledwidge (Tyreke Wilson 59); Jack Henry Francis, Kerr McInroy, Evan Caffrey; Harry Wood (Ellis Chapman 81), John Martin (Daniel Kelly 59), Sean Boyd.
CRYSTAL PALACE: Walter Benitez; Chris Richards, Maxence Lacroiz, Marc Guehi; Justin Devenny (Ben Casey 82), Adam Wharton (Jefferson Lerma 46), Daichi Kamada (Will Hughes 46), Borna Sosa; Yeremy Pino (Romain Esse 46), Christantus Uche, Eddie Nketiah (Nathaniel Clyne 67).
Referee: Martin Matosa (Slovenia)
Shelbourne's Milan Mbeng and Marc Guéhi of Crystal Palace
(Image: INPHO/Ryan Byrne)