Ismaila Sarr said he dedicated his late winner for Crystal Palace to his injured team-mate Jean-Philippe Mateta by replicating his corner flag celebration as the Eagles extended their impressive run of form with a 1-0 win over Ipswich Town at Selhurst Park.
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Mateta has been sidelined since Palace’s FA Cup fifth-round victory over Millwall last Saturday, where he required 25 stitches to a deep wound on his head after a high challenge by goalkeeper Liam Roberts that earned a red card.
A week later, Sarr's decisive moment came just eight minutes from time. Shifted into a central role following the withdrawal of Mateta's replacement Eddie Nketiah, the Senegalese international displayed great composure to chip the ball past Ipswich goalkeeper Alex Palmer for his seventh goal of the season.
In honour of Mateta, Sarr replicated his iconic celebration by going over to the corner flag and giving it a rousing kick as the Selhurst faithful shouted "Boom!"
"I did it for Mateta," Sarr said. "He is my guy. He is a good guy.
"The game today was tough, but we won, so I am happy for myself and the team. We need to keep going and working hard."
Palace manager Oliver Glasner confirmed on Friday that Mateta is expected to return for Palace's next match, the FA Cup quarter-final against Fulham on 29 March.
"Fortunately, he had no fractures or concussion. It's a huge wound, but healing as expected," Glasner explained. Mateta is due to travel with the squad for Palace's upcoming warm-weather training camp in Marbella, where he will train individually before rejoining full team sessions.
Thanks to Sarr's goal Palace confirmed their position as one of the league's form teams. They have now won four consecutive matches and have suffered just one defeat in their last 13 outings.
Their tally of 19 Premier League points in 2025 is second only to Liverpool’s 25 in the league.
It was Glasner's 17th win in his 41st Premier League game for Palace. Only Roy Hodgson (59 wins in 182 matches) and Alan Pardew (25 in 73) have won more in charge of the Eagles in the competition.
