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Ismaïla Sarr scored a late winner in Crystal Palace’s dour victory at Selhurst Park to deny relegation-battling Ipswich a much-needed point.
The England manager Thomas Tuchel was watching from the stands once again in south London, but it was a far less entertaining encounter than Palace’s 4-1 win over Aston Villa on his last trip.
The contest picked up in the second half, though neither side was able to make the most of their chances.
Just as it looked like the visitors might be able to cling on and share the spoils, Sarr secured all three points eight minutes from time to secure a ninth win in Palace’s last 11 matches.
Kieran McKenna made three changes from Ipswich’s 3-2 loss to Manchester United, bringing Luke Woolfenden, Kalvin Phillips and Julio Enciso into the starting XI.
Eddie Nketiah came in for Jean-Philippe Mateta, now in recovery after requiring 25 stitches for the ear laceration he sustained in Palace’s FA Cup fifth-round victory over Millwall, one of four changes by manager Oliver Glasner.
There was an early chance for Nketiah – set up nicely by Adam Wharton – who found himself through on goal and tried to outsmart Alex Palmer, who was alert to it and denied the former Arsenal striker.
Dean Henderson was called into action for the first time on Ipswich’s counterattack, denying Jaden Philogene from near the penalty spot, while Liam Delap skied an effort.
Palace worked the ball to Jefferson Lerma, who fired wide, then won a free-kick just outside the visitors’ penalty area when Jacob Greaves clattered into the back of Sarr. It was taken by Eberechi Eze, but blocked by the man who had conceded it.
Greaves’ next intervention was even more influential, sliding in with a perfectly-timed tackle to deny Eze, who was one-on-one with Palmer but watched his effort deflect over.
Eze soon found himself flanked by three pink shirts at the other end of the pitch, eventually conceding possession and allowing Brighton loanee Enciso to call Henderson into a good save.
It was the beginning of a promising spell midway through the first half from the visitors, who then forced Henderson to punch away a corner.
There was a pause late in the half to treat Leif Davis, who came down awkwardly from an aerial challenge with Daniel Muñoz and appeared to feel some discomfort in his shoulder, but was allowed to continue.
What had started entertainingly had fallen a bit flat by the break, neither side looking especially close to breaking the deadlock.
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Davis fired over from an early free-kick as the second half got under way then Eze came closer with a cross deflected off Dara O’Shea that clipped Palmer’s right post.
Ipswich remained on the attack, Delap next to test Henderson with a header from a corner and Philogene seeing his follow-up cleared off the line by Maxence Lacroix.
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Palace’s main threat came from Eze, who could not find the finishing touch on a few chances, while Sarr nodded just wide of the far post.
Muñoz missed a huge chance to fire Palace into the lead with less than 15 minutes remaining after some poor work from Davis allowed the Palace defender to pounce. He had just Palmer to beat, but the Ipswich keeper timed his block perfectly.
The visitors then had their own difficulties finding the target, a succession of missed chances they would come to regret when Sarr finally broke the deadlock.
It was some patient work from the Senegal international that finally paid off when he cleverly worked his way into position before dinking over Palmer. Sarr paid tribute to his injured teammate by performing Mateta’s signature celebration.
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