Mateta’s late double snatches victory for Palace against Newcastle
A late penalty secured all three points for the home side, with Mateta’s brace rescuing Crystal Palace from defeat.
Match Report
Jean-Philippe Mateta emerged from the bench to net twice in the second half, helping Crystal Palace to a 2-1 victory over Newcastle United at Selhurst Park.
A quiet opening period suddenly sparked into action when Aaron Ramsdale produced a superb double save, first stopping Yeremy Pino’s long-range strike before reacting quickly to deny Daniel Munoz on the rebound.
Newcastle broke the deadlock just before the interval with their first effort on target, as William Osula converted from close range following a well-worked move involving Jacob Murphy and Lewis Miley down the right.
Osula nearly doubled his tally after the restart, capitalizing on a loose pass, but Dean Henderson stretched out to make an important save for Palace.
As Palace increased the pressure, Jefferson Lerma rattled the crossbar with a header. Their persistence paid off in the 80th minute when substitute Mateta nodded in the equaliser—his first Premier League goal since January 1.
The turnaround was sealed deep into stoppage time, with Mateta calmly converting from the spot after Sven Botman was penalised for pulling Lerma’s shirt.
Data Debrief: Palace complete rare comeback
Palace showed resilience late on despite looking off the pace for large parts of the game. It was their first home league win after trailing at half-time since October 2022.
Mateta proved decisive off the bench, taking his league tally to 10 goals this season—two more than any of his teammates. He now has 31 league goals at Selhurst Park, second only to Wilfried Zaha’s 32.
Remarkably efficient, Mateta scored with both of his attempts and contributed 1.12 of Palace’s total 2.34 expected goals.
For Newcastle, their push for European qualification suffered another setback. They have now lost 25 points from winning positions this season, the highest total of any side in the Premier League.
