Ipswich 0 Crystal Palace 1: Mateta the match-winner as Eagles soar clear of Prem new-boys in basement battle
JEAN-PHILIPPE MATETA delivered a finish to warm Crystal Palace hearts on a bitterly cold night.
The French striker’s clipped goal, teed up by Eberechi Eze, secured a crucial second win of the season at Portman Road.
It is Palace’s first victory in over a month, lifting the Eagles three points clear of danger ahead of a horror run.
Oliver Glasner was not in the last chance saloon when it came to his job but with Manchester City, Brighton and Arsenal up before Christmas the Austrian will have known a result was desperately needed.
At the end of last season Glasner would have looked at a run like this and licked his lips, ready to defy some doubters and bloody the noses of rivals and big clubs.
But this side are still such a long way from the one which ended the last campaign with six wins from seven games.
Mateta’s return to the scoresheet with his fine finish after five games without a goal is welcome.
But the Eagles still lack real pace and danger in the final third.
Eberechi Eze always offers something and was creative again at Portman Road, while summer signing Ismaila Sarr has flashes of inspiration. But it is not enough.
It seems unlikely that this result will spark a run away from the relegation scrap just yet, but when the competition is so poor each point is even more precious.
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
Ipswich, then, will sense somewhat of a missed chance and must continue their wait for a first Premier League home win for 22 years.
Kieran McKenna’s side are full of pace and endeavour but lack composure when it matters most.
It took over half an hour for the first shot on target of a drab opening 45 minutes to materialise.
Both sides had threatened good football but neither had managed it – a sign of why both are in trouble – until Mateta fed Eze on the break.
The England man broke through one-on-one but his tame finish was straight at keeper Arijanet Muric.
Dean Henderson had been having an equally quiet evening at the other end, until the final moments of the first half when Harry Clarke met a corner at the near post which found the keeper’s midriff.
Glasner hooked Cheick Doucoure, a red card in waiting, for Jefferson Lerma at the break and Palace looked improved after the restart – soon nudging ahead.
Ipswich had not had much to deal with in the first half but struggled when the Eagles finally posed a threat.
Eze found space inside the Town half and was allowed plenty of time to roll a ball through to Mateta.
The Frenchman easily shrugged off a tumbling Jacob Greaves and dinked a fine left-footed finish over Muric.
Mateta should have had a second minutes later when, again fed by Eze, he saw a low shot denied by the Ipswich keeper.
McKenna made a trio of changes to try and liven things up and one of those, Nathan Broadhead, came close to turning a Greaves header in at the far post but the ball hit the post and ricocheted behind off him.