Ipswich Town 0-1 Crystal Palace - Match Report
Tuesday, 3rd Dec 2024 21:37
Jean-Philippe Mateta’s 59th minute goal was enough to see Crystal Palace to a 1-0 victory over the Blues at Portman Road, leaving Town still looking for their first home win of the season. Mateta made the most of a Jacob Greaves slip before finishing confidently, with the defender coming closest to scoring for the Blues when he stuck the woodwork with a header from a set piece in the closing stages.
Town made four changes with Greaves, Harry Clarke, Wes Burns and Jack Clarke coming into the starting XI.
Harry Clarke replaced the injured Axel Tuanzebe at right-back with Greaves coming in for Cameron Burgess, who was absent from the squad, at the centre of the defence alongside Dara O’Shea.
Burns and Jack Clarke started in the wide roles with Omari Hutchinson moving into the centre, while Conor Chaplin and Sammie Szmodics dropped to the bench alongside Kalvin Phillips and Ben Johnson, who were back in the squad after injury.
For Palace, Mali international midfielder Cheick Doucouré came into an otherwise unchanged side for Jefferson Lerma, who was among the subs.
Ex-Blues loanee Trevoh Cholabah started for the Eagles in their their three-man backline alongside skipper Marc Guehi, wearing a rainbow armband bearing the legend ‘Jesus ‘hearts’ you’, which is again likely to see the FA contact him. Blues captain Sam Morsy was again not wearing the LGBTQ+ armband.
Palace had the most of the first couple of minutes before the Blues began to see more of the ball and on seven O’Shea’s header from a right-sided corner deflected behind for another flag-kick.
A minute later, Hutchinson scuffed an effort through to Dean Henderson in the Palace goal, then Liam Delap came close to playing the former Chelsea man in down the middle but an Eagles defender’s toe intervened. Delap was clearly being fouled and referee Craig Pawson might well have pulled play back.
Soon after, Jack Clarke ran into space from his own half with options either side but ran into trouble before making up his mind.
Both sides were having spells in charge without threatening, while the Blues looked most dangerous when breaking through Clarke and Delap.
On 22, O’Shea was shown the game’s first yellow card for a foul on Ismaila Sarr. From the free-kick from the right, Blues keeper Aro Muric half came for it before opting not to and O’Shea flicked it behind. From the corner, Town looked to break but Jack Clarke was fouled by Doucouré, who was booked.
Five minutes later, Maxence Lacroix headed well over from a Palace corner, then a minute later referee Pawson spoke at length to Morsy after Eberechi Eze had lost his footing but won a free-kick.
Palace were getting on top and presenting the greatest danger, and as the game moved to the half hour, a Doucouré shot was diverted over the bar by Greaves, O’Shea and Mateta clashing heads in the build-up and the Town defender requiring treatment and a bandage for a badly cut head.
Town were without the Irish international for the subsequent corner but Chalobah headed into the back of the Sir Bobby Robson Stand.
The Blues were coming under pressure and in the 36th minute a slip at the back allowed Mateta to run towards goal but Greaves blocked.
Moments later, Greaves was in the way of a Palace effort again, turning the ball away from goal at the far post after Daniel Munoz sent an effort across goal from Tyrick Mitchell’s pull -back.
In the 38th minute, Eze had the visitors’ clearest chance of the half after Mateta’s pass from the right played the England international in on goal the wrong side of Burns. The Wales international did well to put the former QPR man under pressure as he ran in on goal and his shot when it came was too close to Muric, who saved.
Town, who had had a period of the player going one way and the pass the other whenever they were looking to break, began to get more of a foothold back in the game as the half moved into its final five minutes.
In the penultimate scheduled minute, Burns tried a speculative effort from distance which won a corner, from which Harry Clarke flicked at the near-post, Delap helped on and Henderson blocked on the line.
Town were the ones pressing at the end of three minutes of additional time with the half having been evenly balanced with both sides having had spells on top and a couple of chances apiece.
Palace had started on the front foot but the Blues had had the first opportunity through O’Shea, then had a spell on top.
The visitors took charge in the middle period when Town game under significant pressure but the Blues were beginning to come more into it close the the break following a scruffy middle period when too many passes were going astray when they were going forward.
Palace made a change ahead of the second half, Doucouré making way for Lerma in midfield.
Town created the first chance of the period, Hutchinson, who had had a quieter than usual first half, bringing the ball forward in space down the middle and feeding Burns on the right, from where the Welshman sent over a cross, which Delap headed straight at Henderson.
On 48, Eze struck the Eagles’ first effort of the half, a low shot from the edge of the box which O’Shea blocked for a corner which came to nothing.
Town began to get more control and pass the ball around with greater confidence, a spell of possession in the 55th minute ending with O’Shea shooting over from distance.
Three minutes later, Will Hughes was booked for going through the back of Jack Clarke with the former Sunderland man breaking into the Palace half after Greaves had made a strong tackle to end a visitors’ attack.
Town had made a decent start to the second half but in the 59th minute, Palace went ahead.
Eze played a ball from the left forward for Mateta, his marker Greaves lost his footing as they battled, giving the Frenchman a free run at goal into the left of the area. Harry Clarke tried to get back but Mateta was able to lift the ball over Muric and into the corner of the net before running away to the left to celebrate in front of the travelling support.
The Blues, who had presented little threat since going behind, made a double change on 66, Conor Chaplin, Jack Taylor and Nathan Broadhead replacing Burns, Cajuste and Jack Clarke with Hutchinson moving to wide right.
Two minutes later, Palace might have gone two in front, Eze playing in Mateta in a similar position to the one from which he had scored. This time Muric was able to save with his foot.
In the 70th minute, Leif Davis, making his 100th league appearance for the club, got down the left and crossed for the first time, but his ball in was just behind Delap and a defender nodded it out at the far post ahead of Hutchinson.
Five minutes later, Delap fouled Munoz on the touchline, a frustrated looking challenge, taking the striker to 32 fouls for the season, more than anyone else in the Premier League.
On 76, Palace brought on Justin Devenny for Eze, then two minutes later Greaves was yellow-carded for a foul on Sarr. In the 79th minute, Delap was replaced by Ali Al-Hamadi.
The Iraq international immediately instilled some impetus in the Town attack, Morsy eventually screwing a shot wide from the edge of the area. Moments later, Chalobah was swapped for Chris Richards.
Hutchinson was also beginning to have an impact down the right, sending over a dangerous cross-shot on 83, then seeing a cutback towards Broadhead stopped by Hughes two minutes later.
In the 86th minute, Al-Hamadi was felled by Lacroix just outside the area to the left and from the free-kick Town went very close to levelling.
Davis took the free-kick short to Chaplin on the edge of the box with everyone anticipating a cross. Chaplin turned and chipped a ball to the far post and Greaves headed across the six-yard area towards Al-Hamadi and Broadhead, the ball hitting the post, then going out of play off the Welshman. It was a well-worked free-kick which deserved more.
Boos rang around the ground as an implausibly scant three additional minutes was announced as Sarr was booked for a foul on the edge of the Town box on Greaves before being replaced by Eddie Nketiah.
Town huffed and puffed in the closing stages and moments before the whistle Palace broke away through Mateta, who moments earlier had been booked, but the goalscorer was unable to find unmarked teammates in the middle.
For the second time in four days, the Blues were defeated by a single goal, the game having swung one way and the other before Palace’s goal.
However, as at Forest on Saturday, Town lacked the guile to cause the opposition too many problems in their penalty area, aside from Greaves’s late header from the set piece.
Other than that, Palace were comfortable, having had chances to add to their lead, and were ultimately worthy of only their second Premier League win of the season.
The Blues, who remain 19th, fall to their third home defeat of the campaign and are still looking for their first win at Portman Road of 2024/25 but have another chance to break that duck when they host AFC Bournemouth on Sunday.
Town: Muric, H Clarke, O'Shea, Greaves, Davis, Morsy (c), Cajuste (Taylor 66), Burns (Chaplin 66), Hutchinson, J Clarke (Broadhead 66), Delap (Al-Hamadi 79). Unused: Walton, Johnson, Townsend, Phillips, Szmodics.
Palace: Henderson, Chalobah (Richards 81), Lacroix, Guehi (c), Munoz, Hughes, Doucouré (Lerma 46), Mitchell, Sarr (Nketiah 90), Eze (Devenny 76), Mateta. Unused: Turner, Richards, Ward, Clyne, Kporha, Schlupp. Referee: Craig Pawson (South Yorkshire). VAR official: Chris Kavanagh. Att: 29,533 (Palace: 2,939).
Photo: Matchday Images
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tractorboy12341234 added 21:38 - Dec 3
Has anyone seen Wes Burns? Don’t know who this muppet strutting round the pitch like a big shot is??? O’Shea and Morsy solid again I really hope we turn up v Bournemouth - COYB||
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TubbyToast added 21:39 - Dec 3
One win in 14 – err?We are going down. The league table and stats don’t lie or give false hope.Who will be paying £15 to park their car for Championship football next season?||
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Karlosfandangal added 21:40 - Dec 3
O dear starting to run out of games we need to win…really needed that one and Saturday before Arsenal and Chelsea||
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oioihardy added 21:40 - Dec 3I'm not going to lie , and performance like that makes it hard for me to believe we will stay up.
If hutchinson can't get in the game and they mark delap out of the game we literally have nothing going forward .Thought cajuste and oshea had decent game again apart from that it was a hard watchjack clarke isn't up to the prem level , maybe one step too far , we need alot of players in January if im honest
On to the next one anyway, still enjoy the prem games while we can||
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WalkRules added 21:41 - Dec 3
It is the hope that kills you watching Ipswich. After Man Utd we were bouncing. Way off the pace now. A very tough watch at the moment.||
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EssexTractor added 21:42 - Dec 3
The disappointment continuesBut tonight somewhat differentWe had no shotsWe had no really decisive momentsWe threatened nowhereAnd without naming them out of historic respect we had players not good enough for the Premier League||
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TimmyH added 21:42 - Dec 3Poor display...worrying that we play better against the 'bigger' sides - Man U, Villa etc but play worse against the sides around us, they really seem to have the measure of us and Palace didn't have to be that good.
Not sure McK got it right tonight with the change of personnel, wide players in Clarke and Burns continue to be poor and Hutch should have started out on the right and only Cajuste and O'Shea the highlights.
It will be interesting to see how we play against Bournemouth who are a better side this season and have goals in them but do play more expansively.||
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IP9 added 21:43 - Dec 3
xG 0.49 at home… Not good enough.||
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gkroon89 added 21:45 - Dec 3Have to say I was disappointed with that performance.
In game stats don’t look great either against a team down there with us.
If we are going to stay up, some wins need to come and pretty soon.
Some reinforcements are needed in January. We need a spare striker, right winger (probably loan) and RB if Tuanzebe is out for a while. Clarke unfortunately is not good enough and tonight didn’t show otherwise.
Brilliant to be back, but starting to look like we will be fighting to get back next season.||
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runningout added 21:46 - Dec 3
really should be beating a below par Palace team. Heyho on we go||
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