Crystal Palace vs Leicester City. Premier League.
Selhurst Park.
Report and free match highlights as Wilfried Zaha hobbled off with a groin injury late in the first half; Ricardo Pereira saw Leicester ahead; Unfortunate Daniel Iversen own-goal from Eberechi Eze's free-kick equalised; Jean-Philippe Mateta won game with the final kick
Sunday 2 April 2023 06:33, UK
Jean-Philippe Mateta's last-gasp strike saw Crystal Palace beat Leicester 2-1 on Roy Hodgson's return to the dugout, boosting their Premier League survival hopes.
In a game that could have huge repercussions in the relegation battle, Mateta rolled home with the final kick of the game to secure a vital three points for the Eagles.
"I don't think in the four years that I was lucky enough to have worked here before, I ever saw that quality of performance the team gave in first half. That is a credit to the previous manager and the work that has been done with the players," Hodgson said after the game.
"It was a very dominant first-half performance and one that encompassed all the things we've been trying to put into people's heads - you're actually a good team and good players. If you can have a little bit of faith in yourselves, get on the front foot, believe in yourselves more, take shots on, but don't be trying to pass responsibility. We think with their talent, we have enough to score goals."
It was a fine comeback from Crystal Palace, who had gone behind in the 56th minute to a stunning Ricardo Pereira strike. It was arguably a shock lead, with Leicester having no shots in the first half.
Crystal Palace had racked up an incredible 20 shots in the opening 45 minutes, and equalised three minutes later (59). It was an unfortunate own-goal from Daniel Iversen (59) as Eberechi Eze's free-kick found the back of the net off his backside.
The only downside on Crystal Palace's afternoon was an injury to star forward Wilfried Zaha, who was reappointed as captain by Hodgson. He tweaked his groin late in the first half and left the field in tears after a dominant first-half display.
Giving an update on his player, Hodgson added: "I don't know [how he is]. It was a massive blow to see him come off because he had been so good. He's been so good in training and such a good leader since I came in 10 days ago.
"I can only hope it's not going to be a long-term injury, but with all muscle strains, you don't know and you have to wait for the doctors and physios to let you know what the prognosis is going to be."
Crystal Palace remain in 12th place but with a far healthier points tally of 30, giving them a five-point gap over the bottom three. Leicester slip into the relegation zone with 25 points, with the two teams below them - West Ham and Southampton - playing each other on Super Sunday, live on Sky Sports.
Crystal Palace set the tone for their victory from the first whistle, beginning with a superb stop from Iversen in the seventh minute, denying a fierce Cheick Doucoure shot.
The Foxes had no shots in the opening 45 minutes - but they did hit the woodwork. A sloppy defensive pass from the Palace defence allowed Victor Kristiansen to loft in a cross from the left, aiming for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall at the back post. However, the ball clipped the woodwork before the hosts cleared.
Iversen continued to produce some much-needed saves, adding two more before the 20-minute mark to deny Eze and Zaha. Joachim Andersen then nodded Michael Olise's corner just wide of the target, with an incoming Odsonne Edouard unable to slot home at the near post.
But despite a dazzling first half, the hosts were dealt an injury blow late on. Zaha tweaked his groin as he stretched to collect a Jeffrey Schlupp pass, knowing almost immediately that he could not continue. As he limped slowly to the tunnel, he was greeted with applause and chants from the home fans as they helped to comfort their star man.
It was not until five minutes into the second half that Leicester registered their first corner and shot of the match. Soon after, they took the lead. It was a sensational strike from Pereira, hammering the ball into the top corner after a neatly squared ball from Timothy Castagne.
But it was a slice of rotten luck for Iversen as Crystal Palace equalised three minutes later when a wonderful free kick from Eze, which initially hit the underside of the crossbar, hit the Leicester 'keeper on the backside before bouncing over the line.
While their play was not as free flowing as the first half, it was Crystal Palace who looked more likely to take all three points - and with the final kick of the game, they finally capitalised on their pressure.
Ayew drove through the midfield before slotting the ball into Mateta's feet, who turned past Harry Souttar and finished beyond Iversen to spark ecstasy at Selhurst Park.
Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson to Sky Sports:
"It's a wonderful feeling. It's such a relief because I thought over the course of the 90 minutes, we deserved to win that game, especially with that first half performance, which I really enjoyed.
"As the game wears on, we concede a very good goal and you can see the game petering out at 1-1. But I honestly believe that today, with how we played on the field and the statistics certainly back it up, we deserved to win it.
"But it's very hard on Brendan on his team to concede a goal in injury-time with the last kick of the game.
"The attacking intent of the team was really very good. It is quite incredible to have that amount of shots and that amount of shots on target and that amount of corners.
"It showed how intent we were to play the game in our half of the field and when we got into the final third, try and profit on the fact we got the ball in there.
"The energy was fantastic. We knew the crowd would be nervous, like we were ourselves. We also knew they'd be 100 per cent behind us and wanting to see us playing in that way.
"It was a win-win situation today because we gave the fans what they want to see and proved we've got that ability to pin teams back and create chances. On another day, we score more than the one we had until the last minutes of the game."
Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers to Sky Sports:
"Football can be cruel. There wasn't a lot in the game, we started the second half very well, scored a fantastic goal and up until that point, we'd made a really good start.
"Then there wasn't too much created, but the final minute of the game is about concentration, you've got to be really strong and resolute. Unfortunately, we gave them too much space.
"But we didn't deserve that. I feel for the players.
"First half, I didn't think we played well. We didn't keep the ball nearly as much as I'd want the team to, but we defended well. The back four and goalkeeper were excellent, but I said to the players they have to increase their mentality with the ball because you have to have courage and bravery to do that.
"We then started to get control of the game, find the spaces and pass quickly and we score a very good goal.
"It looked like it would be a 1-1 draw, which we want to win, but if not, you take the point. It feels really harsh to have lost the game.
"But the players have shown a resilience today. With the result, there is pain there, but we have to use that going into our next game on Tuesday."
Roy Hodgson will continue Crystal Palace's quest for survival with their next five matches coming against their relegation rivals - starting with a Super Sunday trip to Leeds in eight days' time, live on Sky Sports with kick-off at 2pm.
The Eagles face another away trip to Southampton on April 15, before concluding the month's action with matches against Everton, Wolves and West Ham.
Leicester's next two matches are at home, with Aston Villa and Bournemouth visiting the King Power Stadium within the next seven days.
Brendan Rodgers' side then face a trip to Manchester City on April 15, live on Sky Sports with kick-off at 5.30pm. The Foxes then have three matches against the teams around them in Wolves, Leeds and Everton between April 22 and May 1.
