Guehi defies FA

Crystal Palace won for just the second time in the league this season, beating relegation rival Ipswich 1-0 to pull clear of the bottom three.

Jean-Philippe Mateta scored the decisive goal in the 59th minute. Palace's only other league victory was against Tottenham in October.

While Ipswich stayed in next-tolast place, Palace moved three points above the relegation zone.

Much of the focus ahead of the game was on the teams' captains, Sam Morsy of Ipswich and Marc Guehi of Palace, during another round when the Premier League was celebrating LGBTQ+ inclusion in its campaign to promote equality and diversity.

For the second straight game, Morsy opted not to wear a rainbow armband issued to the captain of each of the 20 teams in the league. He made the decision "due to his religious beliefs," Ipswich said.

Guehi did wear the rainbow armband, but defied Football Association rules by writing a religious message on the item. The message read: "Jesus loves you" — using a heart sign instead of the word "loves". During the match against Newcastle on Saturday, Guehi wrote: "I love Jesus" — and was later contacted by the FA for acting in contravention of its regulations.

Agencies