Report & Highlights: Palace beaten as Ipswich snatch late winner at Selhurst
Crystal Palace fell to a 3-2 defeat to Ipswich Town following a late winner from the visitors after playing the majority of the game with ten men.
The Eagles had started well and led through Anan Khalaili’s first goal in English football, but Emersonn’s equaliser was quickly followed by an Axel Disasi red card.
Ipswich struck again before the break through Leif Davis, but Jørgen Strand Larsen looked to have saved a point with a magnificent finish 15 minutes from time.
Yet it was the visitors who claimed the win, when substitute Zian Flemming bundled home in the dying moments.
Summary;
- Sage makes three changes from the previous Premier League game at Fulham
- 12: Khalaili heads the first chance over the bar from Mitchell's cross
- 14 - GOAL: Khalaili flashes home a wonderful low drive to put Palace in front
- 23 - goal: Emersonn powers a header home from close-range to equalise
- 34: The Eagles are reduced to ten men after Axel Disasi is sent off
- 45 - goal: Davis heads the visitors in front just before the break
- Half-time: Palace 1-2 Ipswich Town
- 56: Benítez reacts sharply to save from Clarke
- 75 - GOAL: Strand Larsen levels for Palace with an excellent finish
- 77: Khalaili blazes over at the back post
- 85: Substitute Chilwell can't find the target after getting a volley in at goal
- 90 - goal: Flemming bundles home to restore Ipswich's lead.
- Full-time: Palace 2-3 Ipswich Town
The Eagles were looking for a third win in the space of just seven days and started brightly with a succession of set-pieces in the Ipswich final third.
And within the first quarter of an hour the first goal arrived. A flowing team move in midfield ended with Daichi Kamada finding space.
He drove towards the Town defence, before picking out Anan Khalaili. The same player had looped a header just over only a few minutes before, but made no mistake this time, with his low drive flying into the corner of the goal.
The right-wing back was imperative to Palace’s fast start, driving forward at every opportunity. Jørgen Strand Larsen was next to go close, stinging the gloves of Scherpen as Palace sought a second.
At that point the Eagles seemed comfortable. Yet the game turned dramatically in an 11-minute first-half spell.
Firstly, Ipswich levelled when Emersonn powered home a header from a Leif Davis cross – Walter Benítez left with no chance.
Things then got worse when Axel Disasi was shown a red card for a high challenge on Jack Clarke.
This forced Pierre Sage into a substitute, with the lively Yéremy Pino having to come off as Takehiro Tomiyasu was brought on in defence.
It seemed the double setback had startled Palace, with Ipswich controlling possession for the rest of the half, and they got in front for the first time just before the break.
After building down the right, the visitors managed to get an overload at the back post, Emersonn’s intelligent flick-on giving Davis the chance to head home.
A re-group was needed for the Eagles. But it was Ipswich who had the first sight of goal after the break, the threatening Emersonn producing some trickery before firing over a tight angle.
Benítez wasn’t needed on that occasion but was a few minutes later to hold onto Clarke’s low shot.
A glorious chance arrived in the 67th minute, but the lively Quinten Timber failed to hit the target with a bouncing ball inside the Blues’ penalty area.
Although the opportunity went, it showed the Ipswich defence was still penetrable.
And with 15 minutes to go the Eagles broke Town’s resistance. Strand Larsen received a Kamada ball and managed to turn Issa Diop, before slamming a low shot into the far corner of the Ipswich goal.
Once again the game completely turned with Palace looking the likely winners. Khalaili had a glorious chance at the back post to restore the lead not long after, but managed to blaze a volley over with the goal gaping.
In the closing stages Sage brought on Jefferson Lerma and Zavier Gozo in an effort to snatch all three points.
But totally against the run of play, at least in terms of the final 25 minutes, it was Ipswich who got the afternoon’s fifth goal.
A deep cross found the advanced Davis who looped a header towards the Palace goal. At first it appeared to be heading out, only to come back off the crossbar and bounce out.
In the ensuing scramble, substitute Zian Flemming was on hand to prod home from only yards out.
Palace were unable to respond in the five minutes of injury-time, as Ipswich departed South London with all three points.
Palace: Benítez (GK), Ahanor, Richards, Disasi, Khalaili, Timber, Wharton (Hughes, 77), Mitchell (Chilwell, 77), Pino (Tomiyasu, 37), Kamada (Lerma, 84), Strand Larsen (Gozo, 84).
Subs: Matthews (GK), Mingueza, Doucouré, McNeil.
Ipswich: Scherpen (GK), O'Shea, Diop, Greaves (Ouattara, 88), Davis, Palacios, Lukic (Florentino, 77), Fatawu (Philogene, 62), Enciso, Clarke (Maeda, 63), Emersonn (Flemming, 63).
Subs: Walton (GK), Kipre, Nunez, Akpom