Jean-Philippe Mateta was the hero for Crystal Palace against Ipswich on Tuesday.
The £9m man’s stunning goal in the 59th minute sealed all three points for the Eagles at Portman Road, lifting Crystal Palace up to 16th in the Premier League.
Interestingly, the Frenchman opted to chip Arijanet Muric when through on goal against the Kosovo international – a finish the Crystal Palace No.14 rarely adopts.
However, when speaking to Amazon Prime after the win, Jean-Philippe Mateta shared what Dean Henderson told him which made up his mind.
Dean Henderson told Jean-Philippe Mateta to dink Arijanet Muric
When asked to describe his excellent finish, the man from Sevran said: “Deano said the keeper usually comes straight at you, so I had to chip. It really helped.”
Small details like this can make all the difference in tight Premier League games, and Mateta deserves immense credit for putting Henderson’s advice into action.
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The Crystal Palace No.1 himself also deserves credit for his own performance – aside from his valuable advice – making one crucial stop with his feet in the first half to deny the Tractor Boys.
Jean-Philippe Mateta has earned a new contract at Crystal Palace
As things stand, Steve Parish is yet to find an agreement with the 27-year-old over a new deal, with his current terms expiring in July 2026.
Mateta is said to want £90,000-a-week to stay at Selhurst Park, a £40,000 rise on his current weekly wages.
When you consider the fact Henderson, Daichi Kamada and Eberechi Eze all earn £100,000-a-week, and Eddie Nketiah makes £90,000-a-week, we see no reason why the Frenchman does not deserve to see his demands met.
Jean-Philippe Mateta of Crystal Palace scores a goal during the Premier League match between Ipswich Town FC and Crystal Palace FC at Portman Road ...
Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images
Without Mateta and his goals, we would be seven points worse off in the Premier League this season – which would leave us bottom – so he has more than proven his worth to Parish.
Hopefully, an agreement can be found soon, as it would be gutting to lose a man who now sits joint-third alongside Luka Milivojevic (28 goals) in our list of record Premier League goalscorers.
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