Report & Highlights: Muñoz heads home to earn Palace a point

Summary:

• Two changes for Palace as Eze and Lerma return to starting XI.
• 16: Sarr lobs ball towards Eze, but bounce prevents midfielder from shooting.
• 24: Barnes threatens Palace goal with piercing run.
• 30: Sarr’s poked effort on the stretch kept out by Pope.
• 35: Sarr leads a counter, but Muñoz steers cross wide from close range.
• 40: Lacroix heads wide from Eze’s free-kick.
• HT: Palace 0-0 Newcastle
• 49: Lacroix sweeps up danger after Gordon prods past Henderson.
• 53 – GOAL: Set-piece routine sees Newcastle take the lead through an own-goal.
• 62: Sarr runs clear but is denied by Pope; Muñoz’s follow-up is cleared off the line.
• 70: Guéhi heads over from a near-post corner.
• 74: Sarr is denied by Pope and Mateta fires over from subsequent corner.
• 77: Nketiah makes return to action off the bench.
• 90+4 – GOAL: Muñoz’s towering header at the far post earns Palace a point.
• FT: Palace 1-1 Newcastle

Palace were looking to record successive victories in league games against the Magpies for only the second time in the club’s history, and for the first time since a run of three wins between 1971 and 1972.

They were bolstered in that quest by the return of Ebere Eze – absent for the previous month after suffering an injury in the Carabao Cup win over Aston Villa – and Jefferson Lerma to the starting XI. Justin Devenny and Cheick Doucouré moved to the bench.

Before kick-off, Palace demonstrated their continued support for Stonewall and the Premier League’s Rainbow Laces campaign with a show of colour and rainbow branding around the ground – promoting LGBTQ+ inclusion in football, the game for everyone.

A fixture which had finished goalless in three of the last five meetings between the two sides in all competitions admittedly took its time to get going in front of a typically vocal Selhurst Park crowd, with a succession of early injuries breaking up any momentum either side looked to build up.

It took until the quarter-of-an-hour mark for either side to really create a first chance – and it came via Ismaïla Sarr, lively throughout, and who controlled a fizzed Lerma pass into feet, looping it over for Eze to strike. The ball bounced at just the wrong moment for the England international, and Fabian Schär got back in to clear.

A physical encounter saw Newcastle largely nullified in the first-half, although substitute Harvey Barnes – on for Alexander Isak early in the game – made one piercing run which tested goalkeeper Dean Henderson’s handling down low.

Then, on the half-hour mark, a string of Palace chances – and good ones at that.

Sarr was the instigator of the first, linking up well with Jean-Philippe Mateta before racing onto the end of Daniel Muñoz’s pull-back – on the slide, fully on the stretch, his effort was agonisingly kept out by Nick Pope’s trailing leg.

Moments later, and an even better opportunity. Straight from a Newcastle corner, Palace broke at rapid pace, working it well to Sarr who carried the ball into the box and – with a three-on-one situation developing – found Muñoz racing in at the far post. On his left foot, and off balance, the Colombian diverted it agonisingly wide of the upright.

Palace were finishing the half strongly and, with the whistle closing in, an unsighted Maxence Lacroix threatened the Newcastle goal with a flicked header from Eze’s set-piece – but wide it went again.

While the first-half had taken a while to get going, the second did not – albeit, frustratingly, not in Palace’s favour.

Moments after Lacroix had made an important covering challenge when Anthony Gordon had prodded past Henderson, the visitors took the lead. A clever set-piece routine involving Gordon and Sandro Tonali saw the former put the ball into the six-yard box, where an unsighted Marc Guéhi was unlucky to deflect into his own net.

Palace responded – and strongly.

After several threatening moves, another golden opportunity arrived on 62 minutes: a long ball over the top found Sarr running in behind and, after a good first touch and with not much room to work in, his prod goalwards was deflected away by Pope.

With not much of the goal to aim at, it came to Muñoz – whose follow-up was on target, but blocked on the line by the covering Dan Burn.

Selhurst continued to roar, and chances continued to arrive. Efforts from Hughes and Lerma on the edge of the box deflected wide, and Guéhi’s near-post header landed on top of the netting after some clever movement to lose his marker.

Moments later, Sarr again threatened with a near-post effort which Pope beat behind for a corner, and Guéhi headed down for Mateta. Holding off a defender six yards out, and with his back to goal, the Frenchman spun and shot – somehow clearing the crossbar.

Despite a late return to action for Eddie Nketiah from the bench, it looked like frustration was to be the theme of the day.

Then, in the final moments of injury-time, relief erupted around Selhurst Park: with almost every player forwards, Guéhi checked inside and swung a cross to the far post where Muñoz was creeping in to head home, Pope unable to keep it from squirming into his bottom corner.

Selhurst at its loudest and Oliver Glasner sprinting down the touchline to celebrate with his players – a point the very least Palace deserved, and one which lifts them to 17th in the table.

Palace: Henderson (GK), Muñoz, Chalobah (Schlupp, 84), Lacroix, Guéhi, Mitchell, Lerma, Hughes (Nketiah, 77), Sarr, Mateta, Eze (Devenny, 65).

Subs: Turner (GK), Ward, Clyne, Richards, Kporha, Doucouré.

Newcastle: Pope (GK), Livramento, Schär, Burn, Hall, Tonali, Guimarães, Willock (Longstaff, 75), Joelinton, Isak (Barnes, 22), Gordon (Wilson, 75).

Subs: Dúbravka (GK), Trippier, Kelly, Murphy, Almirón, Osula.

As It Happened