Jean-Philippe Mateta fired Crystal Palace to victory over Newcastle as the Eagles maintained their perfect week. After a 3-0 win over Fiorentina on Thursday night, Palace continued their excellent week with another top win at Selhurst Park.
Crystal Palace continued their excellent week with a 2-1 win over Newcastle United at Selhurst Park.
Jean-Philippe Mateta, one of the goalscorers from the 3-0 victory over Fiorentina on Thursday night, scored both of Palace’s goals in the final 10 minutes as the Eagles came from behind.
Will Osula scored for the Magpies shortly before half-time but Oliver Glasner made changes after the hour, bringing Adam Wharton, Ismaila Sarr and Mateta.
Mateta scored his first after 80 minutes, burying a header from close range after Tyrick Mitchell, on his 200th Premier League appearance for Palace found the Frenchman in a position he could not miss.
Then, two minutes into stoppage time, Sven Botman was penalised for pulling Jefferson Lerma’s shirt, and Mateta made no mistake to score his second penalty in a week.
Glasner made changes from the side that won on Thursday night, with an eye on the second leg next week, as Lerma and Will Hughes started in place of Wharton and Daichi Kamada.
There was also an entirely new front three, as Yeremy Pino, Brennan Johnson and Jorgen Strand Larsen looked to impress as Evan Guessand recovered from a knee injury and Mateta and Sarr were given the chance to rest up.
Despite all of that though, after riding the wave for half an hour, it was Palace who had the best chances of the first half, with Aaron Ramsdale making two sharp saves to deny Pino and Daniel Munoz in quick succession.
Munoz could not quite get enough onto a headed chance from six yards, with Lewis Hall doing brilliantly to get in the way of the Colombian.
Palace were undone by a moment of bad luck for Maxence Lacroix, with the centre back failing to deal with a ball played into the box by Lewis Miley and Osula pouncing on the ball to tap home from a yard out.
Henderson denied Osula a second shortly after half-time after the Danish forward picked up a loose ball from Munoz.
But when the changes were made, the game also flipped on its head, with Jefferson Lerma rattling the crossbar from a pinpoint Pino cross.
The first big moment happened 10 minutes from time when Jaydee Canvot, once again impressive from the left centre back position, went on a mazy run to get Palace onto the attack.
Munoz’s cross found Mitchell and the England left-back brilliantly beat Ramsdale to the ball and found Mateta who showed his class with a header into the bottom left corner.
Then, from a long throw launched into the box by Chris Richards, Lerma was brought down, and to the delight of Palace fans, the referee awarded the spot kick, and Mateta buried it.
The win lifts Palace above Newcastle into 13th and 12 points clear of 18th-placed Tottenham, while the gap between the Eagles and eighth, which would secure Conference League football, is five points.
Next up: Fiorentina round two to complete the perfect week.