Crystal Palace 1-0 Ipswich Town: Isaila Sarr’s 82nd minute strike settles tight affair at Selhurst Park as Blues’ winless Premier League run continues

Ismaila Sarr’s second-half strike proved the difference as Ipswich Town remain five points from safety in the Premier League following a 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

The Eagles forward’s neat dink over Alex Palmer on 82 minutes condemned the Blues to their seventh defeat in eight league matches and leaves them with a significant gap to make up with just 10 matches remaining.

Sarr’s seventh goal of the season came after Daichi Kamada earned possession off Kalvin Phillips on the edge of the Blues’ box, with the Senegal winger finishing well to give in-form Palace their ninth victory in 11 matches across all competitions.

Town remain the only Premier League side yet to win in 2025 and head back to Suffolk with a familiar feeling as an immediate return to the Championship growing more likely by the day.

There for the taking

There was a feeling in this game that the opportunity was out there for either side to grab with both hands which did not appear likely early on.

Palace supporters appeared frustrated at times with some loose passing that can only be described as unforced errors, but the Blues failed to create the spark that might have made the difference to swing the contest in their favour.

The first 45 minutes saw little to write home about barring a chance apiece inside the opening three minutes that perhaps gave a false impression as to how the rest of the half would pan out.

Adam Wharton broke the lines with an excellent ball for Eddie Nketiah, the centre-forward standing in for the injured Jean-Philippe Mateta, but he was unable to continue his own form in front of goal when Palmer rushed out to deny him.

Town’s effort came in familiar style as Leif Davis bombed down the flank and applied a cutback which Jaden Philogene could only strike low into the reaching gloves of Dean Henderson.

The returning Julio Enciso looked lively up against his parent club’s biggest rivals, forcing Henderson into a save that was about as good as it got for chances before the interval.

We’ve seen this before

The feeling of dejection in the closing stages of the game is one that is all-too familiar for Ipswich Town this season.

So often they have been in tight games and come out on the wrong side of things through a combination of individual errors and spurned chances.

The home clash with the Eagles was one and the visit to Selhurst Park was another.

Eberechi Eze twice went close in fortuitous circumstances as deflected efforts off Dara O’Shea looped beyond Palmer. The first hit the post and the goalkeeper did well to scramble back and claw away the second.

Enciso did not make the most of a promising counter and Sarr cleared off the line when the Blues threatened from a corner with Liam Delap and Philogene in the mix.

It perhaps felt as though it would be Town’s day when Palmer dug Davis out of a huge hole to block Daniel Munoz’s effort after robbing the left-back in possession while facing his own goal, but in the end it was more missed chances that proved costly.

Substitute Ben Johnson should have done far better when meeting Davis’s cross that was stood up to the far post just minutes before Sarr struck the decisive blow with just eight minutes left on the clock.

Kieran McKenna’s side have scored the fewest second-half goals in the division, so it never felt likely a point would be rescued before the final whistle blew to signify a result that leaves the Blues with a lot of work to do.

Crystal Palace (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Guehi (c), Lacroix, Richards; Mitchell (Chilwell 72), Lerma, Wharton (Devenny 87), Munoz; Eze (Esse 90), Sarr; Nketiah (Kamada 72). Subs: Turner, Franca, Clyne, Rodney, Kporha.

Booked: Wharton, Richards, Guehi, Chilwell.

Ipswich Town (4-2-3-1): Palmer; Davis, Greaves, Woolfenden, O’Shea (c); Cajuste (Taylor 83), Phillips; Clarke (Hutchinson 67), Enciso (Broadhead 75), Philogene (Johnson 67); Delap (Hirst 83). Subs: Walton, Morsy, Burgess, Townsend.

Booked: Greaves, Enciso.

Referee: Simon Hooper(Wiltshire).

SuffolkNews Man of the Match: Jens Cajuste. Another excellent performance from Cajuste, who produced another 84 minutes of action in Town’s engine room. Cool on the ball and not afraid to get stuck in, the Swede was a source of multiple counter-attacks that the Blues will feel they should have done better from. Sadly growing in likelihood his time at Portman Road is into its final few months.