Ismaila Sarr scored a late winner to secure a 1-0 victory for Crystal Palace over Ipswich in a thrilling contest at Selhurst Park, lifting his side into 11th place in the Premier League.
With the Palace faithful concerned about where the goals would come from in the absence of their leading scorer, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Sarr provided the answer in the dying moments of the match. His clever dink over Ipswich goalkeeper Alex Palmer, followed by his signature corner flag celebration, gave Palace the much-needed three points.
The game mirrored the reverse fixture at Portman Road, where Palace also fought back in the second half, with Mateta scoring the equalizer. This match was just as tightly contested, featuring plenty of action from both teams throughout the afternoon.
It didn’t take long for the first chances to come. Just five minutes in, Ipswich goalkeeper Palmer was called into action, making a crucial one-on-one save to deny Eddie Nketiah, who had started up front for Palace. Shortly after, Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson proved his own worth, stopping a close-range effort from Jaden Philogene with a firm hand.
The intensity continued to rise, and the game took on a more frantic pace when Ipswich’s Jacob Greaves avoided a red card after pulling down Sarr just outside the penalty area. While Sarr felt he was denied a clear goal-scoring opportunity, VAR upheld referee Simon Hooper’s decision to give Greaves only a yellow card.
The second half brought even more excitement as both teams pushed for a breakthrough. Eberechi Eze came agonizingly close when his long-range shot deflected off Dara O’Shea and hit the post, leaving Palmer helpless. At the other end, Liam Delap’s header from a corner forced a shaky stop from Henderson, allowing Philogene a chance to fire home the rebound, but Sarr was on hand to clear the ball off the line. Minutes later, Sarr narrowly missed a header of his own, guiding it just wide from a corner. However, the forward made no mistake when he finally got his chance, netting the winner in the final moments of the match.
Ipswich’s hopes of survival continue to fade, while Crystal Palace’s win saw them leapfrog Brentford into 11th place in the Premier League standings.
