Roy Hodgson’s second stint as Crystal Palace manager began with a 2-1 Premier League win over Leicester City on Saturday, as the London side registered their first victory in 2023 thanks to a late winner from Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Hodgson had been brought in to secure Palace’s future in the top flight but with both teams looking likely to extend their winless runs, Jordan Ayew took matters into his hands in added time in the second half with a solo run into Leicester’s half.
The Ghanaian fed late substitute Mateta with a through-ball as the French striker turned and finished with aplomb to lift the 12th-placed team up to 30 points and give their fans a long-awaited victory – their first since December 31.
“Finally, finally!” Mateta said. “I worked so hard for this goal and finally it’s happened today. We needed this win – for the team, for the new manager… He’s not really new!
“Everyone’s just happy, we needed this win. Hopefully a lot more will come as well.”
Palace, who had scored the fewest goals in the league this season, looked like a different team from the one that struggled under Patrick Vieira, firing in 20 shots against Leicester in the first half.
It was the most any Premier League side has managed in the same amount of time since 2015.
The change in style going forward gave the home fans reason to cheer but Palace could not find a way through a dogged Leicester defence.
Meanwhile, Ivorian winger and Palace’s top scorer this season Wilfried Zaha was forced to limp off with a groin injury.
Palace keeper Vicente Guaita had been a spectator in the first half but was called into action early in the second when he was forced into a reflex save after Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s run resulted in a James Maddison shot at the far post.
Leicester then struck first through second half substitute Ricardo Pereira, who received the ball at the edge of the box before blasting a shot into the top corner past the despairing dive of Guaita.
But Palace levelled from a free kick three minutes later when Eberechi Eze cleared the wall, saw his shot come off the crossbar and go in off goalkeeper Daniel Iversen for an own goal before Mateta wrapped up the win.
“We’ve got the character. We know what we’re capable of. As long as we keep doing our stuff, we know we’re going to score goals,” Eze said, adding that he did not care that the free kick goal was not credited to him.
Leicester slipped back into the relegation zone, dropping to 18th.
Reuters.
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