Jean-Philippe Mateta’s late penalty secured a 2-2 draw for Crystal Palace against Leicester at Selhurst Park, with both sides left waiting for their first win of the season.
The game already felt like an early battle at the bottom, and it was Leicester who took the advantage first. Wilfried Ndidi did well to win the ball back in midfield, releasing Jamie Vardy.
He battled to beat Marc Guehi and rounded the oncoming Dean Henderson, who made an error in coming out so early. It left his goal open for Vardy (21) to score his second league goal of the campaign.
Despite responding well in the first half – although yet again failing to score in the opening 45 minutes this season – another defensive error saw Crystal Palace concede again within seconds of the restart.
Nathaniel Clyne failed to properly collect James Justin’s right-wing cross. Ndidi poked the loose ball back for Stephy Mavididi (46) to fire home.
However, their 2-0 lead lasted about as long as it took to score when Jean-Philippe Mateta (47) slotted home at the other end from Tyrick Mitchell’s cross. The goal was initially ruled out for offside, but after a VAR review, Mateta was shown to be just onside thanks to Justin on the far side and the goal was given.The Foxes were content to sit back and defend their lead, but with just minutes of injury time to go, Conor Coady’s sloppy challenge on Ismalia Sarr saw the hosts win a penalty. Mateta took, sending Mads Hermansen the wrong way (90+2) to ensure Crystal Palace came away with a point.
Crystal Palace dramatically fought back from two goals down to hold Leicester City to a 2-2 draw at Selhurst Park in the Premier League.
Jamie Vardy and Stephy Mavididi‘s strikes had Steve Cooper‘s men in dreamland in the capital, but Jean-Philippe Mateta rediscovered his shooting boots at the perfect time with a second-half brace, notching his second from the penalty spot in injury time.
A Palace side reinforced by debutants Eddie Nketiah and Maxence Lacroix generally played the better football in the opening 45, only to be caught cold by 37-year-old Vardy, who benefitted from a questionable decision by Dean Henderson to open the scoring.
The response from Oliver Glasner‘s side was a positive one – ex-Arsenal man Nketiah in particular was a real livewire – but the Foxes still went into the break with their one-goal lead intact, albeit not without having to survive a few scares.
Palace’s near-misses in attack were complemented by some lackadaisical defending, though, as Mavididi doubled Leicester’s lead within seconds of the restart, benefitting from an error from Marc Guehi.
However, Glasner’s troops cut the arrears in half through a fine Mateta finish almost immediately – albeit one that was initially disallowed – but Leicester’s defensive efforts would ostensibly prove enough to seal victory for the visitors.
That was until Mateta stroked home his second of the game from the penalty spot deep into added time, leaving 15th-placed Leicester and 16th-placed Palace still searching for their first league victories of the campaign.
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