Crystal Palace secured their first Premier League away victory of the season by defeating Ipswich Town at Portman Road, with Jean-Philippe Mateta scoring a magnificent winner. The two teams, who were both on nine points near the bottom of the table before the match, were evenly matched until the Eagles produced a moment of brilliance to secure the win.
Mateta’s goal was scored in the 59th minute, with the Palace striker making a crucial contribution by flicking the ball on in his own half before dribbling past defender Jacob Greaves and chipping it past Ipswich goalkeeper Arijanet Muric from a difficult angle. The game had lacked any such moments of quality until then, with few chances being created in the first half.
The highlight of the game before the goal was Palace captain Marc Guehi’s decision to write a religious message on his rainbow armband, going against the guidance from the Football Association earlier in the day. The armbands were being worn by all Premier League captains as part of the Stonewall charity’s Rainbow Laces campaign, showing support for LGBTQ+ inclusion in sports. However, Ipswich captain Sam Morsy did not wear the armband for the second game in a row, citing his religious beliefs.
Mateta had a chance to double Palace’s lead after his goal, but he missed the target after being played through on goal by Eberechi Eze. Before this match, Ipswich had an impressive record at Portman Road, losing only three of their last 45 league matches (W28, D14). However, they are still the only team in the Premier League without a home victory this season (D4, L3).
Ipswich youngster Liam Delap, who was a threat throughout the game, was unable to find the back of the net against Palace’s solid back three. The win moves Palace up to 16th place and despite a tough start to the season, manager Oliver Glasner’s team has only lost once in their last six matches.
