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.
TV Info - Broadcasters
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.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 |
West Ham
WHU
|
27 | -15 | 33 |
| 17 |
Wolves
WOL
|
28 | -19 | 23 |
| 18 |
Ipswich
IPS
|
28 | -32 | 17 |
| 19 |
Leicester
LEI
|
27 | -36 | 17 |
| 20 |
Southampton
SOU
|
28 | -48 | 9 |
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 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
What the managers said
Oliver Glasner: "It was an amazing goal from Ismaila Sarr and we took the win. We are really proud because it's a third win in a row in the Premier League. It's a tough thing for any team to do and these guys did it. It's a great statement."
Kieran McKenna: "It was a really hard-fought game. We had plenty of chances to score. Luck hasn't been on our side. The margins are really fine and level of the division is really high. We were really close to taking the points today but it's frustrating for the club that we haven't."
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
Only Liverpool (25) have won more Premier League points so far in 2025 than Crystal Palace (19 – W6 D1 L2).
Ipswich have failed to win any of their first nine league games from the start of a calendar year for the first time in their history (D2 L7).
Julio Enciso has had more shots (31) and shots on target (16) without scoring than any other player in the Premier League this season, having a further four attempts (two on target) for Ipswich today.
