Mateta’s treble hauls Palace off the canvas in a breathless Selhurst Park comeback

Crystal Palace turned a harrowing afternoon into an unforgettable one, rallying from two goals down to draw 3-3 with Bournemouth as Jean-Philippe Mateta delivered a thunderous hat-trick capped by a 97th-minute penalty. Even then, the Frenchman almost conjured the perfect ending, blazing over in the 99th minute with Selhurst Park holding its breath.

What began as a rare defensive off-day morphed into a demonstration of resolve under Oliver Glasner. Teenage forward Eli Junior Kroupi twice punished Palace in the first half and Ryan Christie struck late to make it 3-2 to the visitors, but Mateta refused to let the points slip, striking twice in five minutes to level before holding his nerve from the spot.

A nightmare opening leaves Palace with a mountain to climb

Bournemouth’s bright start brought an early setback. From Justin Kluivert’s inswinging corner, a ricochet off Maxence Lacroix dropped kindly for Kroupi to nod past Dean Henderson after seven minutes. The visitors’ press pinned Palace back and the away end roared about being “top of the league.”

The second was harder to take. Antoine Semenyo scorched past Chris Richards down the left and drove across goal; Marc Guehi’s attempted clearance fell for Kroupi to lash in. Given Palace had shipped only five goals in their previous seven league games, the looseness of the defending felt uncharacteristic and costly.

Selhurst catches fire: Munoz on the burst, Mateta on the move

The game’s temperature rose soon after the break when Ismaila Sarr burst clear and was clipped by Marcos Senesi. Referee Jarred Gillett consulted the pitchside monitor but stuck with his yellow card, a decision that only sharpened Palace’s edge and the crowd’s volume.

From there, the hosts surged. Daniel Munoz’s driving run and cross set up Mateta to pull one back—initially chalked off for offside before VAR swiftly overturned it. Within five minutes, Petrovic parried another Munoz effort and Mateta somehow turned the loose ball in from a tight angle to make it 2-2. Selhurst Park shook.

Blow and response: Christie strikes, Mateta answers again

Even after Eddie Nketiah had a finish correctly ruled out for offside, Palace looked the likelier winners. Instead, Bournemouth landed a punch on 89 minutes when Marcus Tavernier slipped Ryan Christie through to score. It felt brutal given the momentum and the work that had gone into the fightback.

But Palace refused to fold. In stoppage time, as a left-wing corner arced in, Bafode Diakite wrestled Guehi to the turf and Gillett pointed to the spot; after a check, the decision stood. Mateta, ice-cool, drilled in for his hat-trick on 97 minutes before agonisingly skying a glorious winner two minutes later.

Character and connection carry the day

Glasner lauded the team’s mentality and the bond with the stands, noting how Palace created waves of pressure against a ruthless opponent. It was a comeback forged in energy and belief, with Munoz relentless on the flank and Mateta clinical at key moments.

The point keeps Palace eighth and underscores a larger theme: even on a day of defensive slips, this side has the resolve to claw results back. Mateta’s star continues to rise—seven goals for the season and a strike for France in midweek—while Selhurst Park leaves remembering the roar of a rescue.