Ipswich Town 0 Crystal Palace 1 - Jean-Philippe Mateta seals victory for Eagles as Blues’ winless home run back in Premier League continues

Ipswich Town saw their wait for a first Premier League win at Portman Road in 22 years continue as Crystal Palace extended the gap to safety with a 1-0 victory sealed through Jean-Philippe Mateta’s 59th minute finish.

Like in the single-goal defeat at Nottingam Forest on Saturday, it was another game of fine margins that went against Kieran McKenna’s side, leaving the Blues on nine points from 14 matches.

Despite Oliver Glasner’s side being clearly in front on first-half chances, both goalkeepers only had one save each to make with defences on top, a Harry Clarke header from Leif Davis corner going closest for the hosts towards the end, after Aro Muric did well to block from Eberechi Eze.

Mateta was played in by the England international just before the hour mark in what was to be the decisive moment. The Frenchman profiting from a slip from the returning Jacob Greaves ahead of executing a classy chipped angled finish to beat the onrushing Muric.

Town rallied late on but McKenna’s finishers were unable to have the telling impact his side had required with a second straight 1-0 defeat seeing them remain second from bottom but two points from safety, the spot now occupied by Everton who play tomorrow.

Both teams asked a few questions in early forays forward with a trademark Liam Delap run having the crowd on their feet before he was eventually halted.

Dara O’Shea was booked in the 22nd minute for a trip on Ismaila Sarr, before he stooped to head a Eberechi Eze free kick away from danger when Aro Muric was hesitant in coming. Cheick Doucoure soon followed in having his name taken by Craig Pawson for Palace after he chopped down Jack Clarke.

Palace’s pressure mounted with Eze and then Doucoure, deflected out by Greave’s back, both having shots blocked as O’Shea was treated for a cut after a clash of heads.

Trevoh Chalobah then headed over from a ball back in from Doucoure following the corner with O’Shea returning with a black bandage.

The Blues were coming under sustained pressure and struggling to find a way out of their half as O’Shea blocked a Jean-Philippe Mateta effort on the edge of the box before Greaves came to the rescue to hook away a Daniel Munoz effort from just off the inside far post.

The opener that looked on the cards almost arrived in the 37th minute with Palace breaking down the right and Mateta slipping Eze in behind Wes Burns with Muric doing well to narrow the angle and make the block.

A rare chance up the other end was carved out for Burns by Jens Cajuste with the Welsh international seeing his shot deflected away off Tyrick Mitchell. The corner drew Dean Henderson into action for the first time as he got himself in front of a Harry Clarke near-post header that took a ricochet off Delap before bouncing off the keeper’s mid-drift.

Town finished the half strongly in added time with Burns almost getting into the area onto a piercing Harry Clarke throughball with Marc Guehi, who again had scrawled a message about Jesus on his Rainbow Laces captain’s armband, timing his sliding challenge well, with some half-hearted penalty calls following.

Palace emerged for the second half with a change as Jefferson Lerma replaced Doucoure in central midfield.

Omari Hutchinson, who had a quiet opening 45 set in motion an early chance by feeding Burns whose second attempt at a cross was headed by Delap into the hands of Henderson.

O’Shea deflected away an Eze shot up the other end as the visitors looked to make their mark .

With Town struggling to play their way through a compact Palace rearguard, O’Shea lashed a shot over from 30 yards out before heading a deep free kick delivery that lacked power towards Henderson.

But it was Glasner’s Eagles who got themselves in front just before the hour mark when Eze's low pass slipped in Mateta one-on-one with Greaves, who slipped at the crucial moment. Harry Clarke was unable to make up the ground and the Frenchman exquistely lifted it from angle of six-yard box over Muric for a cool finish.

Kieran McKenna soon reacted by making a triple change in the 66th minute with Chaplin, Jack Taylor and Nathan Broadhead all entering the fray for Burns, Cajuste and Clarke.

A highly presentable chance for the south London side to double their advantage via the same player was passed up soon after when Muric deflected away Mateta’s shot from a similar position to his opener from a chipped Eze pass.

Leif Davis got clear to deliver his first clean cross of the night with his ball just curling behind Delap with the England Under-21 international only able to glance it across the goal with the slenderest of touches.

A late challenge by Greaves saw him also collect a yellow card ahead of Ali Al-Hamadi replacing Delap, who had thrown himself around once again in a tireless performance without getting a chance to test Henderson.

Hutchinson began to cause the Palace defence issues with a deep delivery towards Broahead seeing Henderson fist away while he whipped another ball across the face of the six-yard box with Morsy firing over a bouncing ball wildly inbetween as the Blues searched for a leveller.

A short free kick on the edge of the box with four minutes to go almost brought it, but for a lick of paint, as Chaplin’s chipped ball from Davis’ pass was headed onto the far post by Greaves with the rebound then going the wrong side of it off Broadhed’s torso.

Town entered the three additional minutes with Henderson fisting away a Taylor shot-cum-cross with no further chances following while the visitors almost nicked a second on the break as Mateta scampered clear on the left but was unable to find a team-mate in the middle of the box.

For the Blues the wait for a first home Premier League win extends an eighth match which will come on Sunday with the visit of AFC Bournemouth (2pm).

Ipswich (4-2-3-1): Muric, H.Clarke, Davis, Morsy (cpt), Burns (Chaplin 66’), Cajuste (Taylor 66’), Delap (Al-Hamdi 80’), Hutchinson, Greaves, O’Shea, J.Clarke (Broadhead 66’).

Unused subs: Walton (gk), Phillips, Johnson, Townsend, Szmodics.

Booked: O’Shea (21’), Greaves (78’).

Palace (3-4-3): Henderson,Mitchell, Lacroix, Guehi (cpt), Sarr Nketiah (90’), Eze (Devenny 76’), Munoz, Mateta, Hughes, Chalobah (81’), Doucoure (Lerma 46’).

Unused subs: Turner (gk), Ward, Schlupp, Clyne, Kporha.

Booked: Doucoure (23’) Hughes (58’), Sarr (90’),

Referee: Craig Pawson.

Attendance: 29,533 (2,939).

SuffolkNews Man of the Match: With it being a toothless attacking display, Dara O’Shea stood out for his strong defensive display, putting his body on the line time and time again, while also proving a rare threat in the opposition box.