Jean-Philippe Mateta’s late penalty earned Crystal Palace a 2-2 draw with Leicester at Selhurst Park, leaving both teams looking for their first win of the season.
The game already felt like an early battle on the pitch, with Leicester taking the lead first, with Wilfried Ndidi winning the ball back in midfield to free Jamie Vardy.
He fought to beat Mark Guehi and then turned Dean Henderson, who had made a mistake by coming on too early, to score, giving Vardy (21) the chance to score his second league goal of the season.
Despite a strong first half – they have failed to score in the opening 45 minutes of a match this season – another defensive error saw Crystal Palace concede again just seconds after the restart.
Nathaniel Clyne failed to properly receive James Justin’s right-wing cross. Ndidi poked the loose ball back for Stephy Mavididi (46) to fire home.
But their 2-0 lead lasted almost as long as it took to score a goal until Jean-Philippe Mateta (47) slid home a cross from Thierry Mitchell at the other end. The goal was initially ruled out for offside, but after a VAR review, Mateta was ruled to be onside at the far post thanks to Justin and the goal was awarded.
The Foxes were content to sit back and defend their lead, but with just minutes remaining, Conor Coady’s sloppy tackle on Ismalia Sarr resulted in a penalty for the home side. Mateta then fired home a header, sending Mads Hermansen the wrong way (90+2) to give Crystal Palace a point.
“It felt like defeat,” said Leicester manager Steve Cooper. “You felt it in the dressing room, probably the way we conceded the goal and the timing of it.”
Both teams remain 15th and 16th in the Premier League table respectively, with two points from four games to go with another fixture this weekend.
Nketiah shines on Crystal Palace debut
Analysis from Sky Sports’ Charlotte Marsh at Selhurst Park:
With so little game time for Arsenal, it would be easy to forget just how talented Eddie Nketiah is.
On his debut against Crystal Palace, you would never have guessed that he had made just 10 Premier League starts last season, but he looked sharper and fresher than anyone else on the pitch.
He had the most shots (6) in the match, the most he has ever taken in a Premier League match. He had an impressive 15 shots in the box and was joint-first among his teammates for dribbles (2).
It will be an interesting prospect as there is already a solid agreement between Ebereki Eze and Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Perhaps the only blemish on the paper is the fact that he did not score or provide an assist. That is where his lack of consistent playing time is most evident, and it is an area where he must improve quickly, especially with Crystal Palace still chasing their first Premier League win of the season.
But his performances elsewhere on the pitch are beyond reproach and £30m could prove a bargain if Nketiah can find his rhythm in front of goal.
Glasner: That’s a valid point.
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glassner:
“I have to give a big thumbs up to the team for always keeping going and never losing faith. There was a huge cheer from the stands and in the end we deservedly got a draw.
“It was a huge pressure and mentally it was a very difficult game. We were down 1-0 and it was the fourth time we were down 1-0 in the Premier League so it wasn’t easy.
“At half-time we said ‘Okay, let’s do it again’ and a minute later it was 2-0. It was really tough mentally and the players reacted well. He played as a forward and scored the first goal with a good attack. He had a very good impact as a substitute today and we will win 2-2.”
Cooper looks at positives after draw
Leicester manager Steve Cooper:
“There were a lot of good things about the game, especially in the first half. We were a much better team, we were better for the lead, and maybe we could have been better.
“The first half was really good. We had a good away game and looked really positive. The second half was a really amazing start and we had to manage the moments after that, but we didn’t do it well.”
