Tottenham 0-2 Crystal Palace: Player ratings as much-changed Spurs downed by Eze brace
- Ange Postecoglou made eight changes from side victorious over Bodo/Glimt
- In-form Palace deservedly take all three points after Eberechi Eze's brace
- Oliver Glasner's side could have scored more and registered xG of 3.39 in north London
A brace from Eberechi Eze either side of half-time handed Crystal Palace a first away win at Europa League finalists Tottenham Hotspur in 28 years.
Ange Postecoglou made eight changes from the side that travelled to Norway to overcome Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday, retaining only Pedro Porro, Dejan Kulusevski and captain for the day Rodrigo Bentancur.
Kulusevski ended up lasting just 20 minutes before limping off injured, and Spurs' rotation cast proved to be no match for Palace, who put in one of their most impressive performances on the road to remind everybody why they will be a force to be reckoned with in next weekend's FA Cup final against Manchester City.
Oliver Glasner's Eagles thought they taken the lead through Ismaila Sarr just ten minutes in, but the Senagalese international, who scored twice in the FA Cup semi-final win over Aston Villa, saw his effort ruled out for an offside in the build-up.
Daniel Munoz then struck the crossbar midway through the first half after linking up with Jean-Philippe Mateta and the Colombian, who was a constant threat down Spurs' left flank, blew another opportunity to open the scoring minutes later when he opted to try and find Mateta instead of shooting.
Palace skipper Marc Guehi had a goal correctly ruled out for handball but there was no reason to disallow Eze's fifth Premier League goal of the season in first-half stoppage-time. A swift counter-attack, again led by Munoz, this time enabled Palace's prominent attacking midfielder to slide home from close range.
Spurs introduced Yves Bissouma at half-time but he was immediately a passenger as Eze led a superb breakaway to score Palace's second. The 26-year-old's exquisite through ball allowed the lightning fast Sarr to scamper into the penalty area, and he returned the ball on a plate for Eze to run onto and drill home at the first time of asking.
Palace could have scored more, with Spurs a distant second best throughout the contest, and that sentiment was highlighted by their post-match xG tally of 3.39 – a remarkable figure when compared to Spurs' 0.68.
Not only was this Palace's first win at Spurs since 1997, it also completed the Eagles' first-ever league double over their London adversaries from the other side of the capital.
Tottenham player ratings (4-3-3)
Position / Player | Rating |
|---|---|
GK: Antonin Kinsky | 8.3/10 |
RB: Pedro Porro | 6.0/10 |
CB: Kevin Danso | 6.2/10 |
CB: Ben Davies | 6.4/10 |
LB: Djed Spence | 7.2/10 |
CM: Archie Gray | 6.5/10 |
CM: Rodrigo Bentancur (c) | 6.0/10 |
CM: Pape Sarr | 6.8/10 |
RW: Wilson Odobert | 5.7/10 |
CF: Dejan Kulusevski | 5.7/10 |
LW: Mathys Tel | 7.7/10 |
SUB: Mikey Moore (19' for Kulusevski) | 6.1/10 |
SUB: Yves Bissouma (46' for Bentancur) | 6.4/10 |
SUB: Son Heung-min (58' for Porro) | 5.6/10 |
Subs not used: Guglielmo Vicario (GK), Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Brennan Johnson, Richarlison, Dominic Solanke.
Crystal Palace ratings (3-4-2-1)
Position / Player | Rating |
|---|---|
GK: Dean Henderson | 7.7/10 |
CB: Chris Richards | 7.4/10 |
CB: Maxence Lacroix | 6.8/10 |
CB: Marc Guehi (c) | 8.1/10 |
RWB: Daniel Munoz | 8.3/10 |
CM: Will Hughes | 7.1/10 |
CM: Jefferson Lerma | 7.2/10 |
LWB: Tyrick Mitchell | 6.9/10 |
AM: Ismaila Sarr | 7.6/10 |
AM: Eberechi Eze | 8.9/10 |
CF: Jean-Philippe Mateta | 7.3/10 |
SUB: Eddie Nketiah (60' for Mateta) | 6.3/10 |
SUB: Ben Chilwell (61' for Mitchell) | 6.5/10 |
SUB: Daichi Kamada (61' for Lerma) | 6.7/10 |
SUB: Romain Esse (78' for Sarr) | 5.9/10 |
SUB: Justin Devenny (87' for Hughes) | N/A |
Subs not used: Matt Turner (GK), Nathaniel Clyne, Caleb Kporha, Matheus Franca.
Player of the Match: Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace)
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