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BOURNEMOUTH THRILLER ENDS IN DRAW AFTER MATETA HAT-TRICK HEROIC

Crystal Palace and Bournemouth draw 3-3 in a Premier League thriller. Jean-Philippe Mateta scored a penalty and missed a sitter after Ryan Christie's late goal looked to have won it for the Cherries.

Bournemouth Thriller Ends in Draw After Mateta Hat-Trick Heroic
Pic: Adam Davy/PA Wire

After a wild match between two teams in form, the French striker missed a fantastic opportunity to win it for the Eagles by shooting over from eight yards out.

When Ryan Christie scored with one minute of regular time left, he believed he had propelled Bournemouth to the top of the Premier League—at least for a few hours.

However, Mateta scored the penalty to give Palace their tenth consecutive home win after Bafode Diakite was found to have fouled Marc Guehi at a corner.

However, Mateta fired the opportunity high over the crossbar when Eddie Nketiah gave him a chance to win it.

But after an exciting match between these two upwardly mobile sides, a draw was certainly a fair outcome.

The Cherries' young forward Junior Kroupi, who stole the show in the first half, will follow closely following Mateta, who got his France debut last week.

After scoring 22 goals in 30 games for Lorient the previous season, the 19-year-old was snatched from the French second level, and he made the transition seem easy.

Last season, there was no goal in either of these teams' league encounters, but Kroupi made sure that would not be the case this time around by scoring after only seven minutes.

He found it quickly, making his way home roughly six inches after Justin Kluivert's inswinging corner bounced off the far post and struck him.

After a strong run by the highly sought-after winger Antoine Semenyo, who misjudged Guehi's low cross and had Kroupi volley it home first, Bournemouth extended their lead.

When Marcos Senesi of Bournemouth was booked for bringing down Ismaila Sarr 30 yards away at the beginning of the second half, there was some minor disagreement.

Referee Jarrod Gillett had the guts to stay with his initial decision after seeing the replay screen, even though the VAR suggested a check for a red card for the denial of a clear goal-scoring opportunity.

After Mateta tucked in Daniel Munoz's cross as Palace cut the deficit in half, it appeared like the VAR had made the proper decision to overturn an incorrect offside flag.

Five minutes later, Mateta equalised by sliding in at the far post to score another Munoz cross.

Sub Nketiah redirected Mateta's shot into the net, giving Palace the ball once more, but he was rightfully sent out for offside.

Rather, the Cherries took the lead in the 89th minute when Christie turned in a low cross from Marcus Tavernier.

But after losing the opportunity for all three with the last kick, Mateta retained his composure from the spot to secure a point and then held his head in his hands.

BRUNO SALTOR OFFICIALLY JOINS TOTTENHAM AS ASSISTANT COACH FOR THE NORTH LONDON DERBY

Tottenham appoints Bruno Saltor! Discover the new coaching team under Igor Tudor and the departures following Thomas Frank's exit.

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Tottenham Confirm Bruno Saltor as Assistant Coach Under Igor Tudor

Tottenham Hotspur just shook up their coaching staff, bringing in Bruno Saltor, a guy who’s worked with Chelsea and West Ham in the past.

Saltor’s stepping in alongside interim boss Igor Tudor until the season wraps up. Spurs let go of Thomas Frank earlier this month, and, like Manchester United, they’ve decided to go with a temporary setup for now and figure out the bigger picture in the summer.

Tudor, who’s managed clubs like Marseille, Lazio, and Juventus, is set to take charge for the first time this weekend in the North London derby against Arsenal. Saltor will be in the dugout for his first Spurs match, too.

If you’ve followed Saltor’s career, you might know he’s often worked with Graham Potter. That’s how he ended up at both Chelsea and West Ham. When Potter left Chelsea in 2023, Saltor took over as interim head coach. His one match in charge ended in a 0-0 draw with Liverpool. Frank Lampard replaced him soon after, and Saltor stayed on as part of the coaching staff until Mauricio Pochettino arrived, at which point he moved on. He later reunited with Potter at West Ham but left when Potter did in September.

Tottenham’s official statement confirmed the news: “Following the arrival of Igor Tudor as Head Coach until the end of the season, we can now confirm the appointment of three additional coaches to our Men’s First Team coaching staff. We welcome Bruno Saltor as Igor's assistant coach." Born in El Masnou, Spain, Saltor started his playing career in his home country before joining Brighton in 2012. He made 235 appearances there over seven years, then moved into coaching with the Seagulls after retiring in 2019. Since then, he’s picked up experience at Chelsea and West Ham.

Along with Saltor’s appointment, Spurs also announced some departures. Justin Cochrane, John Heitinga, and Chris Haslam are all leaving the coaching staff after Frank’s exit. The club thanked them for their efforts and wished them well.

GLASNER OUT? CRYSTAL PALACE CONSIDERING IMMEDIATE EXIT FOR BOSS AFTER DISMAL EUROPEAN DRAW

Oliver Glasner’s exit is imminent! Discover why Robbie Keane has emerged as the favorite to lead Crystal Palace out of crisis.

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Odds crash on Robbie Keane becoming the next Crystal Palace manager.

Oliver Glasner was supposed to stick around at Crystal Palace until the end of the season. That was the plan, anyway. But after another rough run of results, his exit could come a lot sooner.

Thursday night in Bosnia should’ve been nothing special, just a routine first leg against a team Palace should handle easily, with the real test back at Selhurst Park next week. Instead, a 1-1 draw against Zrinjski Mostar turned into another mess in a season that’s gotten uglier by the week for Glasner and Palace.

The travelling fans didn’t hide how they felt.

Palace have only managed one win in their last 15 games. That’s not a blip; it’s a full-on collapse, and it looks like Glasner’s time might be up even faster than everyone thought.

People at the top of the club have started openly asking if letting Glasner finish out his contract is actually hurting more than helping. He said back in January that he’d leave when his deal was up in the summer, but with results falling off a cliff and morale at rock bottom, those discussions have picked up speed.

Word is, Palace have already started looking for Glasner’s replacement, planning for a summer hire. But now, it looks like they might bring in his successor right away.

One name has shot straight to the top of the list: Robbie Keane.

TalkSPORT’s Alex Crook says Palace are considering Keane as a short-term fix if Glasner goes before the season ends. Keane’s reputation has soared lately. He won the Israeli Premier League with Maccabi Tel Aviv, then took the Hungarian league title in his first season at Ferencváros.

His win rate at Maccabi was over 73 per cent. He’s also done time as an assistant coach at Leeds and Middlesbrough. People who’ve played for him, like Ireland’s Callum O’Dowda, rave about him. O’Dowda said, “As soon as he opens his mouth, you want to listen. It’s phenomenal, really. On the coaching side,e he has been good.”

For now, Keane is still in charge at Ferencvaros, who are still in the Europa League, so prying him away won’t be simple.

Palace sit 13th in the Premier League, eight points clear of the relegation zone, but that gap feels less safe with every week they fail to win.

Tottenham even considered Keane as an interim manager before they went with Igor Tudor.

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