Jean-Philippe Mateta celebrates giving Crystal Palace the lead at Portman Road. Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Jean-Philippe Mateta struck just before the hour mark

Jean-Philippe Mateta scored a stunning winner as Crystal Palace earned their first Premier League away win of the season by beating Ipswich Town at Portman Road.

The sides were level on nine points towards the foot of the table at kick-off, and it was the Eagles who produced the moment of top quality that secured a valuable win.

Mateta's goal came in the 59th minute. The Palace striker had an early role in the goal with a flick-on in his own half before charging forward, dribbling past defender Jacob Greaves and chipping past Arijanet Muric in the Ipswich goal from a testing angle.

The game had been lacking in such class until that point with not many chances created in the first half.

It had been most notable before the goal for Palace captain Marc Guehi going against Football Association guidance from earlier in the day by writing a religious message on his rainbow armband for the second game in a row.

The armbands are being worn by Premier League skippers as part of the Stonewall charity's Rainbow Laces campaign, showing support for LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport.

Ipswich skipper Sam Morsy was the only captain in the league to not wear the rainbow armband at the weekend and he did not wear it again, with his club having cited his religious beliefs for his choice.

Mateta could have doubled Palace's lead after the breakthrough when he was played through on goal by Eberechi Eze, but he fired straight at Muric.

Before this match Ipswich had only lost three of their past 45 league matches at Portman Road (W28, D14) but the outcome means they are still the only side without a Premier League home victory this season (D4, L3).

Liam Delap, one of the bright sparks for Ipswich, was again dangerous but he could not find a goal up against Palace’s back three.

The win moves Palace up to 16th place and means that despite a tricky start to the season, Oliver Glasner’s side have now lost just once in six matches.

Palace ease early relegation worries

Media caption,

Glasner hails 'amazing' Mateta winner for Palace

Palace manager Glasner refused to call this match a 'six-pointer' but accepted it was a big occasion for both teams.

The Eagles' performance in the first half will not live long in the memory, but Glasner had cause to be pleased with the overall resilience his side showed to stay solid at the back to collect three points.

Palace showed grit to score a stoppage-time equaliser against Newcastle at the weekend and look to have started to work their way towards the form they showed at the end of last season.

The Eagles have now beaten Tottenham and picked up draws against Aston Villa and Newcastle in recent weeks and will feel relief at putting distance, albeit only three points, between them and the bottom three.

Kieran McKenna's Ipswich showed endeavour but could not find a moment of magic.

They started as the brighter team in the second half but went behind to Mateta's excellent strike.

Ipswich pushed forward towards the end of the match as they desperately looked for an equaliser and nearly found it as Greaves' header hit the post before going wide.

McKenna's 19th-placed side have three more home games to come in December as they look for a better outcome than this, seeking to demonstrate to the teams around them in the relegation zone they are up for the survival fight.

Media caption,

Ipswich 0-1 Crystal Palace: Kieran McKenna disappointed as wait for first home win goes on

Player of the match

Number: 14 J. Mateta
Average rating 7.93
Number: 26 D. O'Shea
Average Rating: 4.75
Number: 20 O. Hutchinson
Average Rating: 4.72
Number: 16 Ali Al Hamadi
Average Rating: 4.64
Number: 1 A. Murić
Average Rating: 4.63
Number: 47 J. Clarke
Average Rating: 4.52
Number: 33 N. Broadhead
Average Rating: 4.42
Number: 24 J. Greaves
Average Rating: 4.41
Number: 7 W. Burns
Average Rating: 4.40
Number: 14 J. Taylor
Average Rating: 4.34
Number: 12 J. Cajuste
Average Rating: 4.25
Number: 2 H. Clarke
Average Rating: 4.18
Number: 10 C. Chaplin
Average Rating: 4.15
Number: 19 L. Delap
Average Rating: 3.37
Number: 3 L. Davis
Average Rating: 3.19
Number: 5 Sam Morsy
Average Rating: 2.98

After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users.