This victory has been a long time coming for Gary O’Neil. The Millwall supporter from Beckenham 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 that saw Palace take the lead before Emersonn and Leif Davis cancelled out Anan Khalaili’s first goal for Crystal Palace after Axel Disasi’s red card, Jorgen Strand Larsen equalised with 15 minutes remaining.
Khalaili had his head in his hands after missing an open goal minutes later and it was to prove a crucial miss as Flemming – the last of the 14 new players signed in the summer in a record spend of £190m for a newly-promoted side – who scrambled home the winner after Davis hit the crossbar with a looping header.
The chances of either side keeping a clean sheet looked very slim given that Palace had not managed one in the Premier League since April and Ipswich have now conceded 57 goals since their last in December 2024, a run of 22 matches.
Palace’s captain, Dean Henderson, was absent due to injury, while Sage showed his ruthless streak by dropping Jaydee Canvot for what he described as “a sporting decision” after a poor performance against Fulham last week.
The teenager was replaced in defence by another as the 18-year-old Honest Ahanor was handed his debut, while Walter Benitez made only his second Premier League start in goal after joining last year.
Like Palace, Ipswich had conceded eight goals from their opening four matches and it was easy to see why in the opening exchanges. Kjell Scherpen received backing from the Ipswich legend John Wark this week after the giant Dutchman was at fault for both goals against Liverpool in their last match.
He was lucky to get away with a misplaced pass that went straight to Adam Wharton, but Palace’s stand-in captain scuffed his shot with the empty 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 ihad he finished off another chance soon after.
But O’Neil was given hope when Davis whipped over a cross for Emersonn to equalise. Inexplicably, Palace’s defenders appeared to stop for a split second because they thought the left-back was offside in the build-up.
Things went from bad to worse for Sage 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 even if the France defender still lingered next to the tunnel in the hope of a VAR reprieve that never came.
after newsletter promotion
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 and his side continued to struggle with 10 men.
Emersonn, who cost £26.5m from Toulouse and scored on his debut in the opening day win against Sunderland, fired over from close range after tricking Ahanor before Benitez saved well from Clarke’s powerful effort.
Palace’s frustrations were summed up when a Kamada corner sailed out of play without even reaching the near post. They refused to give up hope and Quinten Timber twice went close before Strand Larsen eventually found the breakthrough.
Once again, Kamada was the architect with a clever pass that allowed the Norway striker to hold off the challenge of Issa Diop and beat Scherpen at his far post. But it was Flemming who had the last laugh after coming off the bench as he reacted quickest when a header from Davis came off the woodwork to leave Ipswich’s fans savouring a famous win.