This victory has been a long time coming for Gary O’Neil. The Millwall supporter from Beckenham, whose son plays for Crystal Palace’s academy, had picked up a solitary point on his previous five trips to this part of south London as a manager. So it was no wonder that he celebrated Zian Flemming’s winning goal in the 90th minute with the same gusto as the travelling Ipswich supporters.
On a topsy-turvy afternoon Palace took the lead before Emersonn and Leif Davis cancelled out Anan Khalaili’s first goal for Palace after Axel Disasi’s red card. Jørgen Strand Larsen equalised with 15 minutes remaining but Khalaili had his head in his hands after missing an open goal minutes later and it was to prove crucial as Flemming – the last of the 14 new players signed by Ipswich in the summer in a record spend of £190m for a promoted side – scrambled home the winner after Davis hit the crossbar with a looping header.
Ipswich managed 22 points when they were in the Premier League two years ago, but look far better equipped to survive this time around. “I don’t care where I win, as long as I win,” said O’Neill of ending his Selhurst Park run without a victory. “It’s been the best four months of my career, playing or managing. I’ve loved it, every minute of it. The playing group just gives everything. We’ll lose some, but we’ll give everything when we lose.”
The chances of either side keeping a clean sheet looked slim given Palace have not managed one in the Premier League since April and Ipswich have conceded 58 goals since their last in December 2024 – a run of 23 matches. Palace badly missed their captain, Dean Henderson, who was absent due to injury, and Pierre Sage may regret showing his ruthless streak by dropping Jaydee Canvot for what he described as “a sporting decision” after being unhappy with his performances in training.
While 18-year-old Honest Ahanor did well on his debut, Walter Benítez was at fault for Flemming’s winner that means Palace have lost their opening two home games of a Premier League season for the first time since 2018 and conceded more goals than any other team in the division.
“I need more from him and I’m sure he is able to give that,” said Sage of Canvot’s omission from the matchday squad. “I don’t care about my authority. I want the players at 100% of what they are able to do. And when they give less, I have to shake them.”
Like Palace, Ipswich had conceded eight goals from their opening three matches and it was easy to see why. Kjell Scherpen was extremely fortunate to get away with a misplaced pass that went straight to Adam Wharton but Palace’s stand-in captain scuffed his shot with the goal gaping.
The hosts were ahead three minutes later when Ipswich lost the ball cheaply in midfield and Daichi Kamada set up Khalaili to drill home his first Palace goal via a deflection off Davis. Strand Larsen would have left Ipswich with a mountain to climb if he had finished off another chance soon after. But O’Neil was given hope when Davis whipped over a cross for Emersonn to equalise. Palace’s defenders appeared to stop for a split second because they thought the left-back was offside in the buildup.
after newsletter promotion
Things went from bad to worse for Palace when Disasi charged recklessly into a challenge on Jack Clarke and caught him just below the knee with his studs raised. The referee, Chris Kavanagh, had no choice but to send him off.
Sage opted to withdraw Palace’s chief creative spark Yéremy Pino and replace him with another defender, Takehiro Tomiyasu. That only encouraged Ipswich to push forward, although their second goal owed more to luck than anything else. Dara O’Shea’s cross came off Emersonn’s shoulder and the ball somehow diverted straight to Davis to nod home just before the break.
Sage still looked less than impressed when he emerged for the second half. Palace’s 10 men roused themselves and Quinten Timber twice went close before Strand Larsen found the breakthrough. Kamada was the architect with a clever pass that allowed the Norway striker to hold off the challenge of Issa Diop and beat Scherpen. But it was Flemming who had the last laugh after coming off the bench as he reacted quicker than Benítez when a header from Davis came off the woodwork to leave O’Neil and Ipswich’s fans celebrating a landmark win.
Leave a Reply