Crystal Palace secured a hard-fought 1-0 win at Ipswich Town, with Jean-Philippe Mateta scoring the only goal of the match just before the hour mark. Mateta capitalized on a mistake by Ipswich defender Jacob Greaves, who slipped, allowing the French striker to lift the ball over goalkeeper Arijanet Muric in the 59th minute.
The victory moved Palace up to 16th in the Premier League standings with 12 points, while Ipswich remain second-to-last with 9 points. It marked Palace’s first away win of the season, while Ipswich are still waiting for their first home win since being promoted.
Palace manager Oliver Glasner was pleased with the result despite the tough performance. “We didn’t need to play brilliantly, but we knew it would be a big fight, and it certainly was, especially towards the end,” Glasner told Match of The Day. “We expected a lot of pressure from them and we managed that well. We didn’t give up any chances from open play, just one from a set piece in each half.”
The first half was largely uneventful, but Palace began to take control after the break. Eberechi Eze almost gave Palace the lead just before halftime, but his shot was blocked by Muric’s legs. Ipswich had a chance soon after when Jack Clarke’s header from a corner was saved by Palace keeper Dean Henderson.
After Mateta’s goal, Ipswich pushed forward but were denied by a late strike from Greaves, whose header hit the post with no Ipswich player there to follow up.
Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna acknowledged his team’s struggles, saying, “We can do better than tonight. I don’t think that performance matched some of our better home displays. We started the second half well but then conceded a poor goal that ultimately decided the game.”
