Jean-Philippe Mateta scored a spectacular winner as Crystal Palace secured their first Premier League away victory of the season, defeating Ipswich Town at Portman Road.
Both teams started the match level on nine points near the bottom of the table, but it was the Eagles who delivered the decisive moment of quality to claim the crucial win.
Mateta’s goal, which came in the 59th minute, showcased his skill and determination.
He initiated the play with a flick-on in his own half, surged forward, dribbled past defender Jacob Greaves, and expertly chipped the ball past Ipswich goalkeeper Arijanet Muric from a difficult angle.
Until that point, the game had lacked standout moments, with few chances created in a relatively uneventful first half.
One of the notable incidents before the goal involved Palace captain Marc Guehi. For the second consecutive game, he wore a rainbow armband featuring a religious message, in contrast to Football Association guidance. The armbands are part of the Premier League’s Rainbow Laces campaign, supporting LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport.
Meanwhile, Ipswich captain Sam Morsy was the only Premier League skipper who opted not to wear the rainbow armband, citing religious beliefs, a decision his club defended.
Mateta nearly doubled Palace’s lead after his opener when Eberechi Eze set him up, but his shot was saved by Muric.
Ipswich had previously lost just three of their last 45 league games at Portman Road (W28, D14). However, this defeat extends their winless run at home in the Premier League this season (D4, L3).
Liam Delap was a standout performer for Ipswich, posing a threat throughout, but he couldn’t break through Palace’s solid backline.
With this win, Crystal Palace climb to 16th place. Despite a challenging start to the season, Oliver Glasner’s team has now lost just once in their last six matches.
Palace ease early relegation worries
Palace manager Glasner refused to call this match a ‘six-pointer’ but accepted it was a big occasion for both teams.
The Eagles’ performance in the first half will not live long in the memory, but Glasner had cause to be pleased with the overall resilience his side showed to stay solid at the back to collect three points.
Palace showed grit to score a stoppage-time equaliser against Newcastle at the weekend and look to have started to work their way towards the form they showed at the end of last season.
The Eagles have now beaten Tottenham and picked up draws against Aston Villa and Newcastle in recent weeks and will feel relief at putting distance, albeit only three points, between them and the bottom three.
Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich showed endeavour but could not find a moment of magic.
They started as the brighter team in the second half but went behind to Mateta’s excellent strike.
Ipswich pushed forward towards the end of the match as they desperately looked for an equaliser and nearly found it as Greaves’ header hit the post before going wide.
McKenna’s 19th-placed side have three more home games to come in December as they look for a better outcome than this, seeking to demonstrate to the teams around them in the relegation zone they are up for the survival fight.