Crystal Palace secured a 2-0 victory over Leicester City, piling pressure on manager Ruud van Nistelrooy as his side suffered their sixth consecutive Premier League loss.
Jean-Philippe Mateta opened the scoring seven minutes into the second half, calmly rounding the goalkeeper after an incisive through ball from Ismaila Sarr. The goal marked Mateta’s sixth of the league campaign.
Marc Guehi doubled Palace’s lead with a stunning volley from a set piece, sealing the win and lifting his team to 14th in the table, eight points clear of the relegation zone.
Leicester showed promise in the first half but failed to convert key chances, including a missed one-on-one by Jamie Vardy.
The second half saw efforts from Vardy and Patson Daka narrowly miss the target, while Boubakary Soumare struck the crossbar late on.
Van Nistelrooy admitted the loss was a significant setback. “It’s a big blow, the lowest point we’ve felt so far. We need to address our defensive issues, as it’s hard to win games when we concede so many,” he said.
Leicester remain 19th, two points from safety, with just four points earned under Van Nistelrooy’s tenure.
