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Ipswich Town came from behind twice to beat Crystal Palace 3-2 at Selhurst Park, picking up a dramatic first away win of the season. Anan Khalaili put Palace ahead before Emersonn headed Ipswich level, and the game swung further when Axel Disasi was sent off for a high challenge on Clarke — Ipswich made the extra man count as Davis put them in front. Strand Larsen dragged Palace level with a brilliant strike with 15 minutes to go, but Zian Flemming pounced on a rebound in the 90th minute, after Davis had rattled the crossbar, to snatch a stunning winner. It's a huge result for Ipswich, who remain deep in trouble at the bottom of the table but will take any momentum they can get, while Palace will be furious to have thrown away a lead against ten men and stay in the bottom half themselves.
Pre-match Talking Points
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1Four games into their return to the Premier League, both these sides sit in that early-season no-man's-land — mid-table, three points each, still working out how hard this level really is. For Ipswich, every point now is one further from the relegation fight nobody wants to be dragged back into after two opening defeats either side of a trip to Anfield. For Palace, it's about building belief in new head coach Pierre Sage quickly, having shipped four at Manchester City before somehow coming from behind twice to beat Fulham. Nothing table-defining yet, but this is the kind of week a losing run starts to feel like a habit.
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2Selhurst Park has rarely been kind to Ipswich over the years — Palace have won 17 of the 43 meetings between these two to Ipswich's 11, and the Tractor Boys have lost the last five in a row against them. That losing run actually stretches back through Ipswich's previous spell in the top flight, so this is a proper hoodoo rather than a blip. They'll fancy today as the day to finally break it, on their first visit to Selhurst Park since coming back up.
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3Keep an eye on Tyrick Mitchell — yes, the left wing-back. With Palace's senior strikers both sidelined, it was Mitchell who bailed his side out against Fulham, scoring either side of half-time to drag them level twice, before substitute Ben Chilwell got in on the act with a goal on his very first touch. When a team's goals start arriving from the full-back areas, it usually means something's not quite right up front — for Palace right now, somehow, it's working anyway.
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4Pierre Sage arrived over the summer from French side Lens and got his first Premier League win away at Fulham — now he wants one in front of his own crowd. The catch is he'll do it without Jean-Philippe Mateta (thigh) and Ismaila Sarr (groin), which accounts for essentially all of Palace's first-choice attacking options. Ipswich have their own injury list to deal with too, missing Jaden Philogene-Bidace, Azor Matusiwa and Jack Taylor, so this one may come down to whoever has more bodies left standing rather than who looks better on paper.
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5Here's a number worth knowing before kick-off: Ipswich haven't kept a clean sheet in 22 straight top-flight games, conceding at well over two goals a match across that stretch — the longest such run in the club's history. It's not the kind of record anyone at Portman Road wants to discuss, which is exactly why it's worth bringing up. If Palace's makeshift forward line — wing-backs and all — finds a way through today, nobody should be remotely surprised.
Team Talking Points
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1Palace go into the international break bottom of the Premier League after a 3-1 home defeat to Liverpool on Sunday. Eddie Nketiah's stoppage-time penalty was a consolation, not a comeback. Being bottom in November isn't fatal, but it is the sort of thing fans prefer you don't mention first.
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2Manager Pierre Sage is under serious pressure, and the reports this week say his time could be up. Former Brentford and Spurs boss Thomas Frank is the bookies' favourite to replace him, with The Telegraph naming him as the frontrunner. Nothing's official yet, so 'I hear Frank's in the frame' sounds well-informed, while 'Sage has gone' might be a bit premature.
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3This slump has been building. A 5-0 hammering by Brighton a few weeks ago is the result Palace fans really don't want to relive, mostly because it was Brighton, their fiercest rivals. If you bring it up, expect a long stare.
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4There were glimmers against Liverpool. Jørgen Strand Larsen had a goal chalked off for offside by VAR and Yeremy Pino hit the crossbar, so it wasn't a total surrender. Palace fans will tell you the margins have gone against them, and on Sunday they had a point.
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5Don't forget this is the club that won the FA Cup in 2025, their first major trophy ever. Going from Wembley glory to the bottom of the table in about 18 months is a very Premier League kind of whiplash. Mention the Cup win and you'll cheer up any Palace fan instantly.
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Top thing to say down the pub
Whoever ends up in the Palace dugout, the first job is just stopping the leaks. They're not as bad as the table says, but they're getting close.
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Avoid saying
"Just bring Roy Hodgson back again" — it's been said as a joke so many times that Palace fans have stopped laughing, and the man has done his bit for the club twice over already.
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1Ipswich lost 2-1 at home to Bournemouth on Sunday, so they go into the break 14th and without a league win in five games. Bournemouth are flying, with eight straight wins, so it's not exactly a shameful defeat. Still, a five-game winless run is the kind of stat Ipswich fans are counting.
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2The opener came after just five minutes, when Evanilson dispossessed keeper Christian Walton and finished with a no-look effort. It made him the first Bournemouth player ever to score in five Premier League games in a row. Unfortunately for Ipswich, they became a footnote in someone else's record.
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3The second goal was cruel. Ryan Christie's shot deflected in off Leif Davis for an own goal. Jack Clarke pulled one back from the penalty spot, but Ipswich couldn't find an equaliser.
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4Gary O'Neil is the man in charge now, after spells at Bournemouth and Wolves. Under him Ipswich have a stubborn streak: they have the best record in the league for winning back points from losing positions. Mention that and you'll sound like you've done your homework.
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5Before Bournemouth came a 2-2 draw at fellow promoted side Hull, a properly chaotic end-to-end game. Ipswich are safely clear of the bottom three for now. The aim this time is to avoid going straight back down, which is what happened after their last Premier League visit in 2024-25.
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Top thing to say down the pub
Ipswich never know when they're beaten, which is great, but they could do with not going behind quite so often.
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Avoid saying
"Ipswich are just here for one season again" — they've heard it every week since promotion, they're sitting comfortably mid-table, and they'd quite like you to look at the actual league table.