Palace beat Ipswich in scrappy encounter
Crystal Palace 1 - 0 Ipswich Town
Ismaila Sarr’s late strike proved the difference as Crystal Palace edged past Ipswich Town in a scrappy contest at Selhurst Park, making it four wins in a row for the Eagles.
This was Palace’s first game without key striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, who was sidelined after suffering a nasty head injury in last weekend’s FA Cup victory over Millwall. The Frenchman required 25 stitches following a collision with goalkeeper Liam Roberts.
Without their focal point up front, Palace struggled for fluidity in attack, but Sarr stepped up in the 82nd minute, weaving his way into the box before lifting a clever finish over Alex Palmer to seal the points.
The game was short on quality at times, though Palace started brightly. Just two minutes in, Adam Wharton played a superb through-ball to Eddie Nketiah, but the striker could only fire straight at Palmer.
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Ipswich responded well, with Jaden Philogene forcing a sharp stop from Dean Henderson before Julio Enciso also tested the Palace goalkeeper.
Eberechi Eze came closest for Palace in the second half, striking the post with a deflected cross that had Palmer scrambling. Meanwhile, Ipswich continued to threaten, and Sarr had to make a crucial goalline clearance to keep the visitors at bay when the score was still level.
The result extends Palace’s impressive form, with just one defeat in their last 13 games. Can they achieve European qualification at the end of the season?
Palace attack struggles without Mateta
The Eagles were always going to feel the absence of Mateta, but his injury handed an opportunity to Eddie Nketiah, who has endured a stop-start season since his £30m move from Arsenal last summer.
The 25-year-old was making just his seventh Premier League start of the campaign, and not all of those have come in his preferred central striker role.
Nketiah had started to find some form before this game, scoring in back-to-back matches against Aston Villa and Millwall, and he almost continued that run inside the opening minutes. Wharton played him through with a brilliant outside-of-the-foot pass, but the striker was denied by Palmer when one-on-one.
He linked play well in spells and nearly got on the end of a cross from Sarr, but overall, it was a quiet afternoon for the former Arsenal man.
Palace were always going to need time to adjust without Mateta, but with the Frenchman expected to be fit for the FA Cup quarter-final against Fulham, Nketiah may have to settle for a place on the bench once again.
