The spoils were shared between Oliver Glasner and Andoni Iraola as Crystal Palace and Bournemouth played out a highly entertaining 3-3 draw at Selhurst Park.
Jean-Philippe Mateta missed several chances but still emerged with a hat-trick to salvage a point for the Eagles, who were two goals down at the interval after a poor opening 45 minutes.
However, Oliver Glasner managed to spark an impressive turnaround from his Crystal Palace side in the second half, with Iraola highlighting the effectiveness of Ismaila Sarr and Eddie Nketiah playing alongside the France international.
Jean-Philippe Mateta, Ismaila Sarr and Eddie Nketiah were “punishing” Bournemouth, says Andoni Iraola
When asked what Crystal Palace did differently in the second half, the Spaniard told BBC Sport: “They were losing. They had to be braver, more aggressive. The long balls with Mateta, he was touching everything. Obviously with Ismaila Sarr, Eddie Nketiah, fast players in behind. They were punishing us.”
Crystal Palace players celebrate after scoring against Bournemouth in the Premier League
Photo by Sebastian Frej/Getty Images
The introduction of Nketiah in the 63rd minute was a pivotal moment in the game.
Mateta scored his first just seconds after the England international came on, and then netted again five minutes later – the introduction of another natural striker seemed to spark panic in the Bournemouth backline.
As Iraola noticed, Sarr also caused chaos with his direct runs. Marco Senesi should have been sent off for a last-man challenge on the Senegal international, but somehow only escaped with a yellow.
Oliver Glasner must use Jean-Philippe Mateta and Eddie Nketiah together more often
Since Nketiah – who could switch to Ghana – arrived in a £25m move from Arsenal back in August 2024, it has often been a case of Glasner using only one striker instead of two up top.
The Crystal Palace No.9 has only been on the pitch at the same time as Mateta in 21 games since his arrival, which was 413 days ago.
Eddie Nketiah Teammate Matches Teams Points Per Game Joint Goal Participation Minutes
Jean-Philippe Mateta 21 1 1.62 1 642
(Transfermarkt)
However, Nketiah’s impact against Bournemouth – so impactful Iraola even made a note of it – has to be taken into account by Glasner.