No Premier League club had a better half-time record coming into this match than Oliver Glasner’s side, who had led in five of their seven games and were yet to concede before the break, yet within seven minutes, the Eagles were trailing.
Starting in the absence of Evanilson, last season’s Ligue 2 top goalscorer Eli Junior Kroupi was in the right place to touch over the line from a corner, profiting from Mateta’s goalbound defensive header at the front post.
An all-action first half continued after the breakthrough, with Mateta looking to make amends, heading a delightful searching ball from Yeremy Pino narrowly wide.
Missing a clinical touch, Palace were soon made to pay as Kroupi bagged another on his full league debut, making the most of a sliced Marc Guehi intervention to steer his side into a two-goal advantage.
Having marked his long-awaited France senior debut with a goal during the international break, Mateta was again denied from close range on the stroke of half-time, leaving the Eagles with a considerable task in the second half.
An on-field VAR review looked likely to give Palace a huge boost soon after the restart, yet referee Jarred Gillett stuck with his original decision to award Marcos Senesi just a yellow card for a sliding challenge on Ismaila Sarr, who was threatening to run through on goal.
The Eagles didn’t let that disappointment affect them, and in the space of five minutes, they were back on level terms.
The first goal was originally ruled out for an offside in the build-up, but after a VAR check, Mateta’s first home league goal of the season was allowed to stand, with the Frenchman turning home Daniel Munoz’s fizzed cross.
Those same players combined again in the 69th minute, as Mateta slid in at the back post to net his second of the afternoon.
Selhurst Park was bouncing at this stage, and the Eagles were firmly on top as they pushed for another, almost taking the lead through an offside Eddie Nketiah.
A breathless fixture showed no signs of letting up, and in the 89th minute, Bournemouth broke Palace hearts as they restored their advantage through Christie, who arrived in the box to turn home only his fourth Premier League goal from a Ben Gannon-Doak cut-back.
Unbelievably, there was time for another twist in stoppage time, with Mateta bagging a dramatic hat-trick from the spot after Bafode Diakite hauled down Guehi in the box.
Incredibly, Mateta then skied a golden chance to win the game in the dying seconds, leaving Palace to settle for a point after producing an excellent second-half display.
Meanwhile, Bournemouth are now seven league games unbeaten (W4, D3), rising to fourth but missing the chance to, at least temporarily, top the Premier League standings.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace)
