The lowdown on Crystal Palace 1 Newcastle 1 – Munoz rescues point as Eagles move out of bottom three ahead of crucial Ipswich clash

Daniel Munoz scored in the 93rd minute to rescue a point for Crystal Palace in a 1-1 draw with Newcastle on Saturday.

The Eagles had 16 shots compared to the visitors’ one and only effort, but they were unable to find a way past Nick Pope for the majority of the match.

Here is the lowdown on the match:

THE LINE-UPS

Palace: Henderson, Munoz, Chalobah [Schlupp 84], Lacroix, Guehi, Mitchell, Hughes [Nketiah 77], Lerma, Eze {Devenny 65], Sarr, Mateta.

Subs: Turner, Ward, Clyne, Richards, Doucoure, Kporha.

Newcastle: Pope, Schar, Joelinton, Tonali, Gordon [Wilson 75], Isak [Barnes 22], Hall, Livramento, Wilock [Longstaff 75], Burn, Guimaraes.

Subs: Dubravka, Trippier, Osula, Murphy, Almiron, Kelly.

SNAPSHOT OF THE GAME

Daniel Munoz should have given the Eagles the lead in the 35th minute after a wonderful team move on the counter-attack when Ismaila Sarr pulled the ball to the back post for the Colombian defender to attack.

However, on his weaker left foot, Munoz could only slide his effort just wide of Nick Pope’s goal.

The Magpies took the lead in the 52nd minute when Anthony Gordon squeezed a cross from a quick free-kick along the face of goal and Marc Guehi turned the ball into his own net.

Palace should have equalised on the hour mark when Sarr was played through but once again found Pope in his way. Munoz followed up but Dan Burn blocked his effort.

Mateta was next to go close in the 73rd minute, twisting and shooting just over Pope’s crossbar from a corner.

The equaliser eventually came in the 93rd minute when Guehi crossed to the back post and Munoz scored his very first Palace goal by sneaking a header beyond Pope.

TACTICAL APPROACH

Eberechi Eze returned to the starting line-up after recovering from his hamstring injury, with goalscorer from the 2-2 draw at Aston Villa Justin Devenny heading back to the bench.

Jean-Philippe Mateta battled up against Burn in the first half and the visitors looked to use their rapid full-backs to exploit space in Palace’s back three.

The first half was a game where the two teams were equally nullifying each other – very little was created and neither side managed a shot on target.

BEST MOMENT

Celebrations for Munoz’s equaliser.

Manager Oliver Glasner sprinted from his own technical area to celebrate with his players in the corner of the stadium where the Holmesdale Road meets the Main Stand.

STAR MAN

Ismaila Sarr. A beneficiary of the club’s injury crisis, Sarr has been given the chance to showcase his ability over extended spells in the past few matches. 

His breakaway on the counter-attack and burst of pace lead to the opening Munoz miss – but full credit goes to the Senegalese attacker for creating it. 

A TALKING POINT DOWN THE PUB

A big week for Palace. 

The late point moved the Eagles out of the bottom three and above Wolves.

Glasner’s side now have 48 hours to prepare for a crucial clash at the wrong end of the Premier League when they head to 19th-placed Ipswich Town on Tuesday evening.

Both sides have only won once all season and the South Londoners will be looking to use their Premier League nous to move even further away from the drop zone.

Palace then host Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City on Saturday, who have lost their last three league outings.

WHAT THE BOSS HAD TO SAY

“The result is not a good result when we look at the performance.

“The performance was very, very positive. We had 16 shots in 100 minutes against Newcastle. We only allowed them one finish all game.

“We deserved more today with how the players played and the chances we created.

“When you score an equaliser in the 94th minute, you have to be happy with it. We are, but the feeling is not that it was a lucky point.”

PICTURES: KEITH GILLARD