Crystal Palace Spank Newcastle 2-0
A double from Jean-Philippe Mateta saw Crystal Palace beat Newcastle at Selhurst Park to guarantee Premier League football for another season.
The Frenchman scored his first 10 minutes into the second half as he exchanged passes with Jordan Ayew before sliding the ball past Martin Dubravka.
He sealed the victory two minutes from time, converting from a Will Hughes cut-back for his 11th league goal of the season.
Newcastle had their best chance when Alexander Isak was sent through on goal in the first half but Dean Henderson raced out of the Palace goal to smother the shot.
Newcastle also thought they should have had a penalty late in the second half when Sean Longstaff went down after a challenge from Will Hughes but after a VAR check, nothing was given.
The victory is the Eagles third in the row and they can start looking up the table as they start to plan for a club record 12th season in the Premier League rather than worrying about the relegation battle below.
Since Oliver Glasner has been in charge of Crystal Palace, it can be argued that no player has improved more than Mateta, scoring eight times since the Austrian took charge in February
The manager praised the forward before this match for his work rate and the manner in which his runs create space for the likes of Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise, but it is his finishing which has seen him go to a different level in recent weeks.
He has scored seven goals in his last seven appearances and his tally of 11 league goals is his best since signing for Palace. He has also managed four assists across his 20 Premier League starts.
Mateta is set to have talks to extend his contract as the season heads towards its close and there is no doubt that Palace will be keen to keep him after this impressive run of form.
Both teams came into this match looking for their third win in a row but Eddie Howe’s side never really looked like winning this one.
Newcastle had just one shot on target though Isak could have done better when played through on the Palace goal in the first half.
Newcastle may also feel they should have had a penalty after Longstaff went down in the box after Hughes’ challenge but overall they did not create enough chances to trouble the Eagles.
They face bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United on Saturday and will hope to bounce back to the form that saw them pick up 10 points from four games prior to this setback as they seek to secure European football for next season.
