Ismaila Sarr was Crystal Palace’s hero as his late goal earned Oliver Glasner’s side a 1-0 home win over Ipswich Town, giving the Eagles their third straight Premier League victory.

The Eagles have now won nine of their last 11 games in all competitions, but they were made to work for this one against a resolute Ipswich backline on Saturday.

Eddie Nketiah wasted a glorious chance to hand the hosts the lead in the first half, while Sarr and Daniel Munoz also spurned some good opportunities after the interval.

But the deciding moment came in the 82nd minute when Sarr raced into the area before lifting a delicate finish over Alex Palmer to seal the victory.

The forward kicked the corner flag in celebration as a tribute to team-mate Jean-Philippe Mateta who suffered a head injury against Millwall last week. 

The win sees Palace move up to 11th place in the Premier League table, while Ipswich remain in 18th and five points adrift of safety.

How the match unfolded

Palace had a glorious chance inside two minutes as a delicious pass from Adam Wharton set Nketiah through on goal, but Palmer rushed out to thwart his poked effort.

A fine Jacob Greaves block then denied Eberechi Eze from close range as the hosts continued to probe, though Ipswich went close minutes later as Julio Enciso’s thunderous strike was tipped over the bar by Dean Henderson. 

Eze’s cross deflected off Dara O’Shea onto a post as Palace searched for the breakthrough early in the second half.

But Ipswich still threatened on the break, with Liam Delap forcing a save from Henderson before Jaden Philogene had a shot cleared off the line by eventual matchwinner Sarr.

Palmer flew out to deny Munoz after he had capitalised on a poor back pass from Leif Davis, but with eight minutes left, Sarr burst past Kalvin Phillips before lifting a cool effort into the back of the net.

Palace find a way without Mateta

Sprits were high heading into the game for Palace, with brilliant recent form in the league and potential FA Cup semi-final away on the horizon after their win over Millwall in the fifth round.

The only blot from that result was the serious injury sustained by Jean-Philippe Mateta, and his replacement Nketiah was presented with a glorious early chance to score for the third successive game.

Wharton created that chance with a wonderful pass forward and he controlled the tempo for the home side in the first half, with the England international now enjoying his best run of form of the season after mostly enduring a frustratingly injury-hit campaign.

Glasner’s side greatly missed the presence of Mateta as a true focal point in terms of leading the line but pushed for the all-important winner which emerged through Sarr, who had moved centrally for the final part of the match.

Palace now have three weeks to prepare for their quarter-final against Fulham in the FA Cup, before returning to Premier League action against Southampton three days later.

Ipswich’s struggles continue away from home

Ipswich had to quickly put behind their disappointment of losing on penalties away to Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup fifth round, and there was a sturdiness and a discipline to their first-half display that would have pleased head coach Kieran McKenna.

Though Ipswich struggled to sustain possession at times, they still did carry a threat, with Enciso and Jack Clarke forcing saves from Henderson while the physicality of the spirited Delap caused aerial problems for the Palace defenders.

They perhaps enjoyed a slice of good fortune when Greaves was only awarded a yellow card for pulling back Sarr when the forward tried to run through on goal, but they were competitive right up until the late goal.

They still had their moments on the counter as the game continued to stretch in the second half, but their final pass was lacking at the vital moment, and they were made to pay late on.

McKenna’s men must take encouragement from this battling display when they face Forest at Portman Road next week before the international break, with a victory crucial if they are to propel themselves out of the relegation zone before the end of the season.

Club reports

Palace report | Ipswich report

Match officials

Referee: Simon Hooper. Assistants: Adrian Holmes, Nick Hopton. Fourth official: Rob Jones. VAR: Paul Tierney. Assistant VAR: Ian Hussin.