Crystal Palace 1-2 Ipswich Town – Half-Time
Saturday, 12th Sep 2026 16:05
Goals from Emersonn and Leif Davis have given the Blues to a 2-1 half-time lead over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, the Eagles having been reduced to 10 men following Axel Disasi’s red card.
Jack Clarke was handed his first Premier League start of the season for Daizen Maeda on the left of the attack with the Japanese international dropping to the bench.
There were further changes on the bench with Darnell Furlong and Kasey McAteer absent and Jaden Philogene, back from his ankle injury, and Chuba Akpom coming into the 20.
For Palace, keeper Dean Henderson was missing from the squad with Walter Benitez starting and making his second Premier League appearance having kept a clean sheet in the 3-0 Carabao Cup victory over Middlesbrough in midweek.
Centre-half Jaydee Canvot was also absent with new loan signing Honest Ahanor replacing him and making his Premier League debut, also having played in the Carabao Cup tie against Boro.
Striker Eddie Nketiah was also not in the squad with Jorgen Strand Larsen replacing him in the XI.
The game kicked off at 3pm as scheduled, despite Town requesting that it be put back due to their late arrival, their coach having got caught in traffic.
Town started scruffily, keeper Kjell Scherpen and skipper Dara O’Shea, who was making his 100th Premier League appearance, both putting the ball straight out of play.
Scherpen then dealt with a corner from the right, getting a strong fist on it and sending it out of play.
On seven, the Dutch keeper sent Clarke away on the left with a quick throw to halfway, but the break ultimately came to nothing.
The Blues began to see most of the ball, Abdul Fatawu getting round the outside of his man on the right, then Clarke doing the same on the left but with both crosses cut out.
There was a scare for Town on 10 when Scherpen’s misplaced pass out of his area was picked up by Adam Wharton, but the England international scuffed straight back to the keeper.
Two minutes later, Anan Khalaili headed over at the back post from a Tyrick Mitchell cross from the left.
And in the 14th minute, Khalaili, a player who is understood to have been the subject of a Town offer in the summer prior to his move to the Eagles, put the home side in front.
Left-back Davis had moved inside and the Israeli international wing-back was allowed acres of space to receive a pass from Daichi Kamada before smashing a powerful shot across Scherpen and into the corner of the net.
Two minutes after going in front, Palace threatened again, Strand Larsen volleying to Scherpen’s left and the keeper batting it away.
The Eagles dominated having gone in front but in the 23rd minute the Blues levelled. Fatawu overhit a cross from the right, Davis keeping it in before hooking back to Clarke, who in turn moved it back to Exequiel Palacios.
It was then returned to Clarke, who fed in the previously retreating Davis on the overlap, the left-back sending over a superb cross which an unmarked Emersonn nodded in from just outside the six-yard box to level. The Palace players claimed offside but after a VAR check the goal was given, Mitchell slightly deeper than his teammates and playing Davis onside.
Neither side created a serious opportunity before the Eagles were reduced to 10 men in the 35th minute when Disasi was shown a straight red card.
Emersonn chested the ball down to Clarke just inside the Town half, the winger taking a touch before centre-half Disasi arrived late and caught him with his studs up on his knee. Referee Chris Kavanagh showed no hesitation in issuing his red card with a VAR check and the video footage backing up the decision.
Palace immediately made a change, forward Yeremy Pino making way for central defender Takehiro Tomiyasu.
Enciso forced an error on the left of the Palace box as they looked to play out but the Paraguayan and then Emersonn were both unable to work space for a shot and in the end Benitez claimed a tame cross.
Clarke was booked somewhat harshly for a foul on Wharton, but unsurprisingly, given their superior numbers, the Blues were dominating and in the final scheduled minute they went in front.
Fatawu and O’Shea worked an opportunity for the Irish international to cross from the byline on the right, the Blues’ skipper finding Emersonn with his chipped ball. The Brazilian flicked a header presumably towards the far corner but wide, however, he found Davis, who nodded back across Benitez and into the net, the full-back’s second away goal of the season.
The Town fans cheered their side off at the break, while the home support was somewhat more muted, their team having gone from a promising position to having a mountain to climb in the second half.
The Blues were starting to get on top when Palace went in front, Clarke appearing to have allowed Khalili a free run down the flank.
Town’s well-worked equaliser similarly came against the general run of play, before on-loan Chelsea defender Disasi’s red card, which was as stonewall a dismissal as they come.
The Blues dominated from there, Emersonn returning the favour to Davis for the earlier assist – although perhaps not intentionally – to give the visitors the lead at half-time.
From this position, Town will feel confident they can go on to win at Selhurst Park for the first time since 2010.
Palace: Benitez, Kalaili, Richards, Disasi, Ahanor, Mitchell, Wharton, Timber, Pino (Tomiyasu 37), Kamada, Strand Larsen. Subs: Matthews, Mingueza, Doucoure, Lerma, Chilwell, Hughes, Gozo, McNeil.
Town: Scherpen, O’Shea (c), Diop, Greaves, Davis, Lukic, Palacios, Fatawu, Enciso, Clarke, Emersonn. Subs: Walton, Kipre, Ouattara, Florentino, Nunez, Philogene, Maeda, Akpom, Flemming. Referee: Chris Kavanagh (Lancashire). Assistants: Dan Cook and Bhupinder Singh Gill. Fourth official: Tim Robinson. VAR: Craig Pawson. Assistant: Adrian Holmes.
Photo: Reuters
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