When the clock ticked into the seventh minute of stoppage time, Jean-Philippe Mateta sent a wave of euphoria through South London. Every inch of the pitch seemed to be his personal kingdom.

Despite delivering a stunning hat-trick, the French striker will likely dwell on the missed opportunity that could have sealed the game in the 99th minute. While he was left in disbelief, fans had been awestruck by his performance long before.

The first half unfolded like a dream for Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi, who announced himself with two impressive goals. Just a year ago, he was making headlines in France’s second division, and now, at 19, he was stepping onto the global stage.

However, Mateta had other plans, stealing the spotlight with his relentless play.

Jean Philippe-Mateta stole the show with a hat-trick as Crystal Palace twice came from behind to draw 3-3 with Bournemouth 

Eli Junior Kroupi thought he had stolen the headlines with two goals in the first half 

Mateta’s masterful display

Are you taking notes, Wilfried Zaha?

Any question of who currently reigns supreme at Selhurst Park has been decisively answered: it’s Mateta wearing the crown.

His ‘spat’ with club legend Zaha this week – which, in truth, felt like an overreaction from the Ivory Coast star – threw down the gauntlet. Produce a performance, silence the critics.

Initially, it didn’t look like it was going to be the 28-year-old’s day. Several times he was presented with the whites of Djordje Petrovic’s eyes, and each time the Palace talisman blinked. Chances gone begging, Selhurst Park groaning.

But Mateta kept running, kept hounding defenders, kept shooting. And he left with his head held high.

In total he had 11 shots here, more than the eight which Bournemouth’s entire team had. The best strikers don’t let their heads drop when the day feels against them. They change the narrative.

Oliver Glasner revealed after the game that he had to comfort Mateta, so dissatisfied was the Frenchman with a mere three goals.

‘He apologised,’ Glasner told us. ‘I said “you don’t have to, you can’t take every single chance. ” He could have scored five or six because he had big chances in the first half. We don’t expect him to score every single chance. He scored three. I said “be proud, a hat-trick in the Premier League is not so easy to score.” He did it and deserved it.’

Mateta dragged Palace back into the game and had 11 shots – more than Bournemouth together

Kroupi’s crushed dream

Kroupi must be devastated at how Mateta flipped the game on its head.

Not many men will ever get the privilege of having Bournemouth’s fans sing about being top of the league, but the 19-year-old enjoyed just that in the first half.

After his two goals, the young Frenchman allowed a faint smile at half-time. You would have forgiven him for beaming broadly, but the self-restraint and modesty now looks wise.

Cherries fans already had a soft spot for Kroupi after his late volleyed equaliser against Leeds last month. But he barely had 20 minutes of Premier League action under his belt as he deputised for the injured Evanilson from the start today. Now you get the sense Evanilson may be checking his shoulder.

Andoni Iraola has just gained an incredibly valuable asset, gold dust in a long campaign – a back-up striker he can fully trust. This is a massive opportunity for Kroupi with Evanilson potentially out for a few weeks, or at least for their immediate horizon at AEK Larnaca and Arsenal.

What struck you here was the youngster’s razor-sharp instinct and sixth sense. Two goals at the back post, both reacting quickly to unfolding events.

‘He is a goalscorer, someone who is very aware of the second ball, he is a good finisher,’ Iraola said. ‘But he still has a lot to prove, the physicality, the rhythm, he still has a lot to learn.’

Kroupi was playing in the second tier of France last season but has adapted well to the Premier League

Wharton’s England pitch

If Thomas Tuchel leaves Adam Wharton on the sofa when the World Cup comes around, England will be a far more stodgy team. 

Wharton showed glimpses of his balletic best here – the seam-splitting passes, 180 turns that made his opponents look like waxwork, elegant bursts through the middle of the park.

Life is a lot more exciting as a forward when you’ve got Wharton as a playmaker. Several times Mateta’s eyes lit up as the 21-year-old sent a pass zipping through the lines. At times he was wayward, and he only landed 70 per cent of his passes, but that’s the point. His creativity keeps the opposition guessing. How to press a man who is seemingly unpressable, how to intercept a pass that felt almost imaginary?

Wharton spent some of this international break recuperating with his grandparents, and whatever they put in his meals seems to have worked a treat.

He is wholeheartedly committed to his style. He brings a range of passing which saw him compared to Paul Scholes while still in his mid-teens at Blackburn. 

As he told The Times last season: ‘I can play a game and get 100 per cent success if I pass it to my centre-backs and full-backs every time. But anybody can do that. Every professional footballer can get the ball and pass it from side to side for 90 minutes. If you can play forward, I don’t see why you wouldn’t.’

Tuchel recently admitted Wharton ‘deserves to be with us’. Well, put your selection where your mouth is, gaffer. Wharton’s only shortcoming is his lack of physicality – and that betrayed him at times here – but he has been doubted for that before and always overcome the hurdle.

Glasner’s view was unequivocal: ‘If he stays fit, I’m pretty sure that he will go to the World Cup.’ 

Adam Wharton showed Thomas Tuchel what he is missing out on

Guehi’s showing

Marc Guehi, usually so unflappable, didn’t have his greatest day at the office here after telling Palace that he wants to go.

The headline moment is his botched clearance which led directly to Kroupi’s second goal in the first half.

He only had a split second to react to Semenyo’s driven cross but rather than boot the ball out, he got his feet mixed up and sliced it straight into Kroupi’s postcode.

What was exciting to watch was his progressive play. Guehi made more key passes (three) than any of his team-mates, while only Daichi Kamada had better ball retention. 

Guehi has been a consummate professional ever since arriving in 2021. Few players in the Premier League exude his calm or maturity and he deserves a move if he wants it. 

Replacing that void in either January over the summer is something Palace need to prepare for now. 

At least Palace’s defensive record across the whole season has been something to shout about, barring this afternoon’s aberration. 

They’ve only conceded eight goals in as many games, while Dean Henderson has kept three clean sheets and is one of the league’s best shot-stoppers statistically.

Marc Guehi’s error was a tricky moment after he told the club he wants to leave, but he impressed trying to get Palace on the front foot

Crystal Palace and Bournemouth need to act fast to secure their managers’ futures

Iraola and Glasner’s futures need sorting

Crystal Palace and Bournemouth need to get serious over their managers’ futures, if they’re not already.

Both of them are out of contract at the end of the season and that is a worry, particularly with how beleaguered Ruben Amorim is at Manchester United and how appetising that job would be.

Today was a bit helter-skelter, far from perfect, but they have both moulded their teams in their image.

Palace’s low block is typically robust and the supply line to Mateta, built through the increasingly synergetic number 10 pairing of Ismaila Sarr and Yeremy Pino, can trouble any team.

They’re fifth in the annual league table, enough for the Champions League, and are making Selhurst Park a fortress. They’re now unbeaten in 10 games at home. 

Meanwhile, Bournemouth are arguably the league’s most ferocious pressing team and one of the most blistering on the counter-attack. Antoine Semenyo, Justin Kluivert, and Marcus Tavernier can strike fear into the heart of any defender with their direct runs. 

The Cherries have a succession plan in place in case Iraola leaves, but the onus should be on doing everything to keep him. 

As Brentford have learned, being a club with a strong philosophy doesn’t ensure a smooth transition when a talented manager moves on. Palace and Bournemouth need to act fast.