Crystal Palace's difficult run in the Premier League continued as they were beaten 3-2 by Ipswich Town in a chaotic and dramatic encounter at Selhurst Park, with the Eagles playing more than half the match with ten men.
Palace looked to have made the perfect start when Daichi Kamada found space through the middle after 14 minutes and slid the ball out to Anan Khalaili on the right. The Israeli forward's effort took a deflection off Leif Davis before nestling into the net, giving Khalaili his first goal since arriving in English football.
The lead did not last long, however, as Ipswich hit back against the run of play just nine minutes later. Davis whipped in a delivery from the left flank that found Emersonn unmarked at the far post, and the Brazilian nodded home his second goal of the campaign to level things up.
The contest turned decisively in Ipswich's favour before the interval when Axel Disasi was shown a red card for a reckless challenge on Jack Clarke, reducing Palace to ten men. The visitors capitalized almost immediately, going ahead right on the stroke of half-time. Dara O'Shea's cross into the box was cleverly flicked on by Emersonn, and Davis arrived at the back post to head in his side's second goal.
Despite being a man down, Palace showed resilience and fought their way back into the match. In the 75th minute, Kamada again played a pivotal role, threading a pass into the area for Jorgen Strand Larsen. The forward shrugged off the attention of Issa Diop before firing a low shot across goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen and into the bottom corner, restoring parity at 2-2.
With the game seemingly destined for a share of the points, Ipswich produced a late twist to snatch all three. In the 90th minute, Julio Enciso supplied a cross that Davis met with a header, the ball crashing against the crossbar. Substitute Zian Flemming reacted quickest to the rebound, bundling the ball over the line to complete his side's remarkable comeback and secure a 3-2 win.
The result meant Ipswich claimed just their second Premier League victory of the season, a significant boost as they continue their fight in the top flight. For Palace, it represented a third defeat in their last four league outings, a run that will concern manager and supporters alike as they look to arrest their slide down the table.
Disasi's dismissal proved to be the turning point of the afternoon, forcing Palace to play the majority of the match with a numerical disadvantage against opponents who showed great composure to make the extra man count. Despite going behind twice, Ipswich's persistence paid off in the closing stages, while Palace's spirited response, capped by Strand Larsen's well-taken equalizer, ultimately went unrewarded.
The defeat leaves Crystal Palace to reflect on a costly moment of indiscipline that shaped the course of the match, while Ipswich will take great encouragement from their ability to fight back twice and still find a winner deep into stoppage time.
Based on reporting from The Independent (PA).