Jean-Philippa Mateta made it a century of Premier League appearances in a Crystal Palace shirt after coming on against Liverpool last weekend, scoring 26 goals in the process. To celebrate, here are five of our favourite JP performances…
What a time to score your first Crystal Palace goal.
This is a game remembered mostly for Christian Benteke’s 95th minute winner, but it all got started with a piece of Mateta magic. With Jordan Ayew drilling the ball into the penalty area, the Palace centre-forward pirouetted and back-heeled past Robert Sanchez and into the back of the net.
The corner flag was kicked for the very first time, and a ritual was born.
Palace: Guaita (GK); Mitchell, Kouyaté, Cahill, Ward; Milivojevic, Riedewald, Eze (McCarthy, 91); Ayew, Townsend, Mateta (Benteke, 75).
Subs not used: Butland (GK), Dann, Van Aanholt, Clyne, Kelly, Batshuayi.
OK, he only came on for the final four minute of normal time – but it’s what happened after that that makes this one of the most memorable goals scored at Selhurst Park in recent years.
Having failed to win a game since New Year’s Day, the Eagles looked to be heading for a draw with relegation-bound Leicester City, only for Mateta to make the crucial impact in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
Ayew provided the assist once again, with Mateta able to turn away from his marker with his first touch and fire past Daniel Iversen with his second, sending Selhurst into delirium.
Palace: Guaita (GK); Mitchell, Guéhi, Andersen, Ward; Doucouré, Schlupp (Hughes, 81), Eze; Zaha (Ayew, 45), Olise, Edouard (Mateta, 86).
Subs not used: Johnstone (GK), Clyne, Milivojevic, Riedewald, Lokonga, McArthur.
When Rico Lewis scored Manchester City’s second goal at the Etihad just before Christmas back in 2023, it felt as though the result was beyond any doubt. City rarely dropped points at home, and certainly not from two goals to the good.
Then, Mateta got one back for Palace with 15 minutes remaining, and suddenly it was game on once more.
The Eagles continued pushing, with Mateta the spearhead in attack, with a 95th minute equaliser from Michael Olise proving enough to take home an unlikely point.
Palace: Henderson (GK); Mitchell, Guéhi, Andersen, Ward (Ozoh, 34), Clyne (Eze, 91); Richards, Riedewald (Ahamada, 81); Schlupp (França, 81), Olise, Mateta.
Subs not used: Matthews (GK), Tomkins, Adaramola, Ebiowei, Ola-Adebomi.
Having beaten Liverpool at Anfield and then smashed five past West Ham at Selhurst Park, Palace were back in South London looking to make it three Premier League victories in a row.
The Eagles dominated the first-half but couldn’t find the breakthrough, before Jean-Philippe Mateta took charge and netted a brace to make it nine points out of nine.
Palace: Henderson (GK); Andersen, Richards, Clyne; Mitchell, Hughes, Wharton (Riedewald, 83), Muñoz (Ward, 94); Ayew (Olise, 73), Eze (Schlupp, 83); Mateta.
Subs not used: Matthews (GK), Tomkins, Ozoh, Ahamada, Edouard.
Six wins out of seven to cap a remarkable ending to the campaign, with Mateta smashing home a hat-trick to make it 19 goals for the campaign and see Palace break their own scoring record in the top-flight. Ebere Eze got in on the act with a brace of his own.
He even added a fourth, but was narrowly denied by VAR judging him fractionally offside.
A phenomenal ending to a phenomenal personal campaign.
Palace: Henderson (GK); Andersen (Tomkins, 87), Richards, Clyne; Mitchell, Guéhi (Lerma, 76), Wharton (Riedewald, 87), Muñoz; Eze (Ayew, 88), Mateta (Edouard, 76), Olise.
Subs not used: Matthews (GK), Ward, Ozoh, Schlupp.
