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Where are they now? Tottenham's 2021 Carabao Cup Final squad

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Tottenham Hotspur haven't faced Manchester City in the Carabao Cup for over three years now, with the last clash between these two sides in this competition coming in the 2021 final at Wembley Stadium.

The Lilywhites were well in the game despite coming into the tie as heavy underdogs, and they were only pipped to the victory by an Aymeric Laporte header eight minutes from time.

Their squad looks awfully different nowadays from the one we saw take to the pitch at Wembley, with just two players still remaining at the club.

Manager - Ryan Mason

Ryan Mason led the team out at Wembley Stadium, in what was only his second game in a managerial role. He had taken over from Jose Mourinho less than a week before the final and had overseen a comeback victory against Southampton in the week leading up to the clash with Pep Guardiola.

The former Tottenham midfielder, who holds the record as the youngest manager to take charge of a Premier League side, remains at his boyhood club, and is apart of Ange Postecoglou's backroom staff in the role of Assistant Coach.

Starting XI

Hugo Lloris

Club now: LAFC

Captain on the day, Hugo Lloris left Spurs in December 2023 after falling out of favour when new boss Ange Postecoglou arrived. He left the club after making 447 appearances in twelve years, joining MLS outfit LAFC on a free transfer.

Serge Aurier

Club now: Free Agent

Serge Aurier only went on to play twice more for the club after the Carabao Cup final defeat. His contract was mutually terminated in August 2021 under Nuno Espirito Santo, and he is currently a free agent after he left Galatasaray in the summer.

Toby Alderweireld

Club now: Royal Antwerp

A cult hero, Toby Alderweireld also brought an end to his spell with The Lilywhites at the end of the 2020/21 season, making the switch to Qatar to play for Al-Duhail.

The Belgian currently plays his trade for boyhood club Royal Antwerp, whom he helped win their first league title in 66 years thanks to his 94th-minute equaliser on the final day of the 2022/23 campaign.

Eric Dier

Club now: Bayern Munich

Eric Dier was a regular in the side before Ange Postecoglou was appointed as Head Coach in the summer of 2023. After the Australian's appointment, he fell down the pecking order and subsequently joined Bayern Munich in January 2024 on an initial loan, which became permanent.

Sergio Reguilon

Club now: Tottenham Hotspur

The former Real Madrid left-back has had various loan spells since the Carabao Cup final defeat in 2021, but he is currently back at Hotspur Way and training with the first team after failing to secure a move away in the summer transfer window.

Pierre-Emile Højbjerg

Club now: Olympique Marseille

A leader and stalwart in the midfield during the run which saw Spurs reach the final, and for the many seasons after, the hard-battling Dane departed North London in the summer, swapping it for Southern France as he joined up with ex-Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi.

Harry Winks

Club now: Leicester City

A boyhood Tottenham fan, Harry Winks started in his second-ever major competition final at Wembley in 2021, but, unsurprisingly, tasted defeat as the trophy drought lived on. He was shipped out on loan less than a year later, before rejoining Leicester City and earning promotion to the Premier League with The Foxes in his first season in the Midlands.

Giovani Lo Celso

Club now: Real Betis

The Argentinian had a heavily disrupted time in England, with injuries and loan spells overwhelming the bulk of his Tottenham career. On his day, he was a quality addition to the midfield, but it never really worked out for him and he left for former side Real Betis in the summer of 2024, as part of a major clearout under Ange Postecoglou.

Lucas Moura

Club now: Sao Paulo

The Brazilian, who will be hailed as a club legend for generations after his heroics in Amsterdam, returned to his boyhood club Sao Paulo after five years in the English capital, and the 32-year-old is still turning out for them on a regular occurrence.

Harry Kane

Club now: Bayern Munich

Harry Kane, who became the club's all-time leading goalscorer in February 2023, hit staggering new heights as a Tottenham player, but he joined German giants Bayern Munich on the eve of the 2023/24 season, having failed to win a single trophy in a Spurs shirt.

Heung-Min Son

Club now: Tottenham Hotspur

One of just two players from the starting eleven who remain at the club to this day, Heung-Min Son was named club captain two years after the final defeat to City. The South Korean has scored 165 times in 416 appearances since joining in 2015.

Substitutes

Gareth Bale

Club now: Retired

The Welsh Wizard was in the form of his life during his second stint in N17, yet started the Carabao Cup final on the bench. He went back to Real Madrid at the culmination of his season-long loan before joining LAFC where he retired in 2023.

Dele Alli

Club now: Free Agent

Dele had just began to rediscover some form under Ryan Mason, but fell out of favour again under Antonio Conte, so left the club to join Everton in January of 2022. He struggled both physically and mentally whilst with The Toffees and left when his contract expired in 2024.

Although now a free agent, Everton are still allowing him to get back to speed and carry out his rehabilitation at their training base, in the hope that he reach those immense heights he did as a youngster.

Moussa Sissoko

Club now: Watford

The Frenchman, who was a fan-favourite during his time in North London, joined Watford in the summer of 2021, but after one season returned to his homeland to play for Nantes. After two seasons, he rejoined Watford and currently plays his trade for The Hornets in the Championship.

Stebven Bergwijn

Club: Al-Ittihad

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Postecoglou says Son "unlikely" to make Man City clash

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Heung-Min Son, who has missed five of the last six matches, is once again set to be sidelined on Wednesday night when Tottenham Hotspur host Manchester City in the Carabao Cup.

Although he was only meant to miss last Thursday's UEFA Europa League fixture with AZ Alkmaar on precautionary measures, the South Korean captain, who has just been named as the AFC Asian International Player of the Year, also sat out of the lacklustre 1-0 loss against Crystal Palace on the weekend.

On the Spurs captain, Ange Postecoglou had this to say:

"Well he is almost fit but we will probably from our perspective aim him for the weekend. We're quite confident he will be right for the weekend."

Other team news

Aside from the winger missing out, there is one confirmed absentee for Postecglou to contend with.

It's bad news for summer signing Wilson Odobert, who returned from a hamstring injury when he came off the bench in the 87th minute against Alkmaar.

Postecoglou: "The only one missing out, which is a bit of a disappointment is Wilson. He's had a setback during the week and it seems like it's a serious one, so we're waiting for more information."

The Australian Head Coach also explained that the Frenchman's issue was "not exactly the same [injury] but same area."

Elsewhere, there is good news as Djed Spence has returned to training, and all of Sunday's squad came through the match unscathed.

Erik ten Hag sacked

Ange hints at more League Cup rotation

Respectively, Ange Postecoglou made nine and eight changes for the trips to Fulham and Coventry City in this competition over the last two seasons.

Last season at Craven Cottage in Round Two, the decision to heavily rotate cost The Lilywhites, as they crashed out on penalties, and it very nearly backfired again away at the Coventry Building Society Arena in September, with Spurs scoring 87th and 92nd-minute goals to turn the tie around in the nick of time.

This time, despite the stature of the opponents, he has still vowed to continue his Crabao Cup rotation policy.

"We'll do similarly to what we've done in all our mid-weeks games, Europe included, [which] is try to pick a team we think will win the game and take into account we did play Sunday."

"Obviously City played on Saturday so we've got to make sure the players we put out there tomorrow are able to compete physically with what's going to be on the other side of the pitch from us. The good thing is just about the whole squad's had some kind of football so that means whatever changes we make the players coming in are at a good physical level."

Players and staff understand significance of tie

With some supporters seeing this mouthwatering matchup as arguably one of the biggest of the season so far, the Australian was asked whether there had been any signs of players or staff not understanding the importance of the fixture.

"I'm not a supporter of this club, I'm the manager of this football club and I'd hate to think that any supporter of this football club thinks that I try harder in one game than another. Supporters can feel what they like, which is the most important game."

As he did in May - when Spurs lost 2-0 at home to the eventual champions, with many fans urging the team to throw the game on purpose so rivals Arsenal could not win the league - Postecoglou stated that he treats all games equally.

During the defeat, the Aussie angrily raged at a group of fans situated behind the dugout, with it emerging they were continuously telling him to lose. He wasn't a fan of the atmosphere in the ground that night either.

In his post-match press conference in May, he furiously stated that "the last 48 hours to me have revealed the foundations are pretty fragile."

And again, five months later, he has rectified that he poses the same outlook on all fixtures.

"It would be the biggest injustice for me as a manager if I said, 'We're going to try harder tomorrow than we do at the weekend or we did last weekend'.

It doesn't work that way. You need to separate supporters of a football club with people who have the responsibility of representing it. Our responsibility lies with trying to be the best we can be everyday for our supporters, for everyone who's part of this football club. It's not about trying to gain brownie points."

Reaction to Palace defeat

Once again, Ange Postecoglou has urged that his players must stick to the principles, rather than immediately chase a reaction following another poor showing.

"I don't think it is about a reaction. It's fairly understandable that the players and everyone was disappointed with the way things went for us at Palace, both performance and outcome, but we've got to get away from this reactions and trying to atone for something.

Part of the process for us is making sure every game we stick to our principles irrespective of what has happened in the past. If you wait for reactions for good performances, you're actually anticipating another challenge when you should just be trying to focus on consistency in performance and consistency in mentality of how we approach every game."

Erik ten Hag sacked

In the buildup to his side's match agans West Ham on Sunday, former Manchester United boss Erik Ten Hag stated that he denies and ignores their 3-0 hammering by Tottenham "because the red card was overturned."

Just days later, the Dutchman was sacked and Spurs boss Postecoglou was quizzed on whether he was shocked by the former Ajax man's departure.

"Nah, not really shocked. Disappointing as it was, it was almost inevitable with the scrutiny he had. It is just the nature of football these days."

The former Celtic manager was also asked to describe the scrutiny that Premier League bosses face on a day-to-day basis.

"I have said in the past that it is becoming more and more difficult to do the role in any kind of processed way. It is just the nature of what we do these days.

It seems like, if you look at Erik he was there for two and a bit years. He won a trophy in each year, they finished third in his first year. I don’t know if he was here with that record would he have lost his job? I don’t know. Would he be under the same scrutiny? I don’t know."

Since arriving in N17, the Australian has stressed the importance that he is here to deliver silverware, and he may get a very good chance to do this season, with his side fighting on both the continental and domestic stage. A victory on Wednesday would see the favourites knocked out early, and would open up a very nice route to a first trophy in over sixteen years.

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Four things we learnt from Tottenham's abject defeat at Crystal Palace

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Tottenham’s troubles away from home continued as Jean-Philippe Mateta’s goal earned Crystal Palace their first Premier League victory of the season.

Ange Postecoglou’s side arrived at Selhurst Park having won seven of their last eight matches in all competitions yet were devoid of the type of confidence that such a run would usually spawn. It was the winless Palace who brought the swagger.

They needed only to strike once, Mateta dealing what proved to be the fatal blow on 31 minutes. Daniel Muñoz pounced on a Micky van de Ven error before delivering a cross which Eberechi Eze flicked expertly for the French forward to power home.

There was no riposte. Despite fielding - and replenishing - an offensive cast, Spurs failed to lay a glove on their hosts, who might have had a second had Eze timed a second-half run fractionally better.

Spurs have already accrued three away league defeats this season, a record Postecoglou must resolve if his side are to fulfil their potential.

Away hoodoo continues

Postecoglou’s first six away trips with Spurs in the league delivered four wins and two draws. His next 18 saw the team win four, draw five and - most worryingly - lose nine. This season, they sit 13th in the away league table having lost three in five.

For a club with pretensions to Champions League football and more, these are bona fide causes for concern. Speaking to the media post-match, Postecoglou pointed to his side’s inability to adjust to the stop-start nature of the game.

He said “We ended up doing some silly things, giving away silly fouls and just losing our composure, which just adds to that sort of [stop-start] game. And you just can’t get any traction.”

There is a school of thought that the midfield three of Yves Bissouma, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski is simply too offensive for attritional matches such as these. Whereas the set-up has worked at home against sides willing to absorb pressure, it has struggled to contain opponents’ preferring the gung ho approach.

Rewind a year and one day. There were emotional scenes as Rodrigo Bentancur made his return from an eight-month-long ACL injury in a 2-1 win at Selhurst Palace. The Uruguayan was introduced with three minutes remaining on Sunday but Spurs looked far more comfortable playing into midfield with him in the six position. Perhaps a more balanced starting 11 is required.

Frazzled full-backs

Oliver Glasner deployed the elusive Eze and Ismaila Sarr as inside forwards behind Mateta and the pair worked smartly to create overloads on the wings before drifting into central areas.

Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie were handed the unenviable task of curbing their influence and were pulled from pillar to post, with the additional threat of Tyrick Mitchell and Muñoz bombing forwards too much to handle. The Spurs full-backs were afforded precious little respite.

Advanced full-backs have, in fact, become something of a Postecoglou trademark during his time at Spurs but Porro and Udogie had their work cut out on this occasion. Their heat maps showed a far deeper average position while the pair, who had managed five shots in Spurs’ previous league outing against West Ham, fired goalwards just once.

It bears mentioning that Palace lost the impressive Michael Olise to Bayern Munich in the summer. Quite how Spurs would have fared against the Frenchman is a question best left unanswered.

Do Spurs have a difference maker?

Selhurst Park will have seldom seen better goals than Dele Alli’s mesmerising swivel and volley in 2016. And while Harry Kane’s late header to snatch three points two years later was rather less spectacular, it characterised a player who had made a habit of showing up when his team needed him most.

That is exactly what Spurs did not have recourse to on Sunday afternoon. With their front line stagnant and uninspired, there was little to suggest that anyone would deliver a timely moment of magic.

The absence of Son Heung-min certainly did not help. The club captain has scored 19 Spurs goals from outside the box - 11 using his right foot and eight with his left - and is capable of producing something out of nothing. At 16, his replacement Mikey Moore should not be expected to fill his boots. There are plenty of established forwards who should be stepping up.

Maddison has scored 15 direct free-kicks in his career, four of which were game-winning, but none for Spurs. Meanwhile the returning Richarlison appeared a shadow of the player who netted nine times in nine league games last winter.

Second and third phase struggles

Eagles centre-half Maxence Lacroix had an exceptional game but should have broken the deadlock when presented with a free header in the first-half. It came after Palace went short with a corner. Simple, yet enough to distract Brennan Johnson, who had initially been marshalling Lacroix.

The hosts had the ball in the net soon after the interval only for Eze to be correctly ruled offside. It was a fractional call, and came from Spurs not resetting after an attacking set-piece as Bissouma was exposed holding the defensive line. Van de Ven was a good 15 yards ahead of the ball. What of Cristian Romero? Nowhere to be seen.

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Crystal Palace 1-0 Tottenham: Post-Match Tottenham Player Ratings

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Tottenham were dealt their fourth defeat of the Premier League season by a Crystal Palace team that out-fought the Lilywhites.

A fractured and cagey first half saw the game frequently pause due to injuries and that prevented proceedings from finding a flow.

This suited Palace a lot more than their opponents as they could disrupt Spurs from finding any rhythm.

The Eagles would reap the rewards for a positive first half as Jean-Phillipe Mateta crashed in the opener after indecisive defending had seen the ball land at the Frenchman’s feet.

Tempers were flaring over after the interval as Spurs grew frustrated by Palace’s solidity and wily gamesmanship and the Eagles held on for their first Premier League victory since the end of last campaign.

It was a performance that lacked grit and determination from a Spurs side who are struggling for consistency, here’s how the individuals got on.

Player Ratings

Guglielmo Vicario – 6

The Italian looked very shaky in possession and found it very hard to deal with the incessant press of the Palace front three.

He could not do anything about the goal as the strike flew past him before he had time to react.

However, Vicario kept his side in the contest with a string of saves to deny the likes of Eberechi Eze and Ismalia Sarr.

Pedro Porro – 5

Porro had a difficult afternoon in South London as he looked vulnerable defensively and could not contribute offensively to help his team find a way back into the game.

The former Sporting Lisbon man was not alert for the decisive goal as he could not intercept Munoz’s cross to deny Eze the chance to tee up Mateta.

Cristian Romero – 5

Tottenham’s captain on the day could not rally his troops to conjure up a response following the first half goal.

The World Cup winner played his part in losing possession for Jean-Phillipe Mateta’s goal on the stroke of the half hour mark.

Palace’s front three ran the Spurs backline ragged and Romero was often bypassed by Eze.

Micky van de Ven – 3

It was a woeful display from the 23-year-old who was consistently outmuscled by Mateta and outpaced by Sarr.

It was the Dutchman who would lose the ball leading up to the opening goal as Daniel Munoz closed down the angle and blocked van de Ven’s attempted clearance.

In defence of Tottenham’s number 37, the pass across the penalty area by central defensive partner Romero was overhit, but he could have dealt with the situation better.

The former Wolfsburg man was at Palace's peril for the entirety of the match and would have had his heart in his mouth after his force took Eze down inside the box put his claims were waved away.

Van de Ven was fortunate to not be shown a straight red card in the second half after hauling down Ismailia Sarr who was racing through, but referee Darren Bond adjudged that the Palace attacker was not on course to have a goal scoring opportunity.

Destiny Udogie – 5

Udogie looked much more like his old self in South London but still could not help unlock the Palace defence.

In a match that was rife with full-blooded challenges, Udogie did well not to pick up a booking.

Yves Bissouma – 5

The Malian had the responsibility of being the midfield metronome and dictating the play but was often overwhelmed by the opposition.

After the interval, Bissouma improved, but the midfield pairing of Adam Wharton and Will Hughes had tenacity in abundance to prevent Spurs from retaining possession.

James Maddison – 4

It was another disappointing display from Spurs' primary creative force as Palace restrained the Englishman from having any influence on the game.

The midfielder was substituted to a chorus of jeers from the home faithful on the hour and Maddison looked bitterly disheartened.

Dejan Kulusevski – 3

The Swede cut a frustrated figure in the first half as many of his passes failed to find their intended target.

He was taken off on the hour mark alongside Maddison, which was a sensible decision by Postecoglou, as Kulusevski looked in serious danger of receiving a second yellow card.

Brennan Johnson – 4

The Welshman was anonymous in the early stages as Postecoglou’s side struggled to retain possession.

He came the closest to netting the equaliser in the first half as his improvised effort came off the post, but he did not look like he knew too much about it.

Johnson could not fashion any clear-cut chances for his teammates in the second period.

Dominic Solanke - 6

Solanke worked tirelessly against the resolute back three but ultimately looked isolated in what was an exasperating afternoon.

Due to Spurs’ inability to keep hold of the ball, the Englishman was forced to drop back deeper to pick up the ball, but a by-product of that is the Lilywhites missed his presence in the box.

Mikey Moore - 3

Physically the teenager looked out of his depth as he was hounded by opposing full-back Daniel Munoz with the Colombian sensing vulnerability in the 17-year-old.

On the ball, Moore played several incisive passes to overlapping full-back Udogie, but after playing his first 90 minutes of senior football during midweek, he looked absolutely shattered by the time he was taken off as part of Postecoglou's triple alteration.

Substitutes

Pape Matar Sarr - 6

The Senegalese instilled some calm into a side that were shell-shocked by the intensity of their opponent.

Sarr will find hard done by that he is has not been chosen to start the last few matches, considering the impact he has had when he has been introduced into the fold.

Richarlison - 5

Richarlison was introduced to offer Solanke some help against the likes of Marc Guehi, Trevoh Chalobah and Maxcence Lacroix who were dominating Spurs' record signing.

As always, Richarlison caused issues but still looks short of match sharpness following a prolonged spell out injured.

Timo Werner – 6

The German has been short of confidence recently but his display at Selhurst Park will encourage Postecoglou.

He whipped in a plethora of searching crosses into dangerous areas, but neither Dominic Solanke nor Richarlison could connect.

Rodrigo Bentancur – N/A

The midfielder came on in the dying embers but his lack of urgency did not help Spurs in their pursuit of parity.

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Crystal Palace vs Tottenham LIVE Score Updates, Stream Info and How to Watch Premier League Match

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Despite not being called up for the Euros, Maddison continues to show a high level in one of the best leagues on the planet.

F. Forster; A. Gray, R. Dragusin, B. Davies, D. Udogie; L. Bergvall, R. Bentancur, J. Maddison; M. Moore, Richarlison and T. Werner.

Totte must not lose any more points if they want to play in the Champions League again next season, as they are currently far from that zone.

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Crystal Palace vs Tottenham: Premier League Preview, Gameweek 9, 2024

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With only three points out of a possible twenty-four, the Eagles are stuck in the relegation zone after failing to win any of their eight Premier League games this season. This makes them one of four teams to do so.

Palace won six of their final seven games, including a victory at Anfield as well as 4-0 and 5-0 wins over Manchester United and Aston Villa respectively.

The expectation was for Palace to kick on - but that hasn’t happened so far. It seems that losing Michael Olise in the summer has affected them more than they would of hoped.

The French international has 6 goals and 3 assists in 11 matches across the Bundesliga and Champions League, having put up similar figures for Palace.

Palace lost 1-0 against Nottingham Forest on Monday night, which was yet another let down. Chris Wood's optimistic long-range effort squirmed into the Palace net due to an error made by goalkeeper Dean Henderson.

The home side will be desperate for points this Sunday as they are only a point away from Ipswich and could potentially jump out of that relegation zone.

Spurs were in action on Thursday night with Europa League. A much-changed team beat AZ Alkmaar 1-0 at home to maintain their perfect record and move up to second in the table.

They also hammered West Ham 4-1 after going 1-0 down. A perfect response to their dramatic loss to Brighton and the away team will hope to replicate a similar performance in this London derby.

The Lilywhites have now won seven of their last eight games across all competitions, though their inconsistency away from home has restricted their progress in the Premier League, where they are currently in eighth position.

Claiming all three points will help Tottenham close down that five point gap between them and a Champions League spot as Aston Villa currently sit in fourth.

Team News

Crystal Palace

Chadi Riad, Chris Richards, and Matheus Franca all expected to be out for Crystal Palace due to injuries.

After missing time due to a toe injury, midfielder Cheick Doucoure is getting closer to making a comeback.

Goalkeeper Matt Turner, who is on loan, is expected to return to the Eagles' bench after missing the match against his parent club, Forest.

Tottenham

Ange Postecoglou announced that captain Son Heung-min did not train this week and is unlikely to play. Djed Spence is the only other player to not be available ahead of this trip.

Postecoglou has a tough decision on who will replace the 32 year-old star as Timo Werner, Wilson Odobert, and new sensation, Mikey Moore will all be keen to start.

Mikey Moore was given his first home start in the Europa League against AZ and got given player of the match. He was also heavily praised by team-mate, James Maddison, who compared him to Neymar.

The manager has said that Moore is ready for his first Premier League start, but they need to be careful with him as he has already played a lot of minutes this week and last year he had a few knockbacks with injuries whilst in the academy.

Potential Lineups

Crystal Palace

Henderson; Lacroix, Chalobah, Guehi; Munoz, Wharton, Lerma, Mitchell; Kamada, Eze, Mateta

Tottenham

Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bissouma, Kulusevski, Maddison; Johnson, Solanke, Odobert

Key Players

Crystal Palace - Eberechi Eze

It is well known that Eze has had a poor start to the season and we are yet to see the same player that we saw last year. However, this does not mean he is not one of Palace's main threats still.

His dribbling skills and vision allow him to navigate tight spaces and create goal-scoring opportunities for his teammates, making him a constant threat on the attack.

Moreover, Eze's knack for drawing fouls can disrupt Tottenham's rhythm and provide Palace with set-piece opportunities, something they struggle to defend.

If anyone is to help beat this Tottenham side, it is him.

Tottenham - Dejan Kulusevski

Kulusevski and Brennan Johnson were fighting for the right-wing position last season. The 24-year-old's lack of pace was one of his limitations.

Now, Kulusevski plays a crucial part in the way this Spurs team approaches their game. He is ranked fifth in England's top division for crucial passes with 23 - 18 of which have come from open play, which is the second-highest number in the league.

His ability to create for teammates and his passion to push and assist force mistakes in the final third are what make the decision to shift him infield so noteworthy. Kulusevski's move into the infield gives Solanke the assistance he needs to keep pressing.

Spurs rank top for possession won in the attacking third (60), the individual metric led by Kulusevski (13), and his presence will be key again this weekend.

Match Details

Where is the game being played?

The game will be played at Selhurst Park, home to Crystal Palace.

What time is kick-off?

The game will kick off at 14:00pm UK time.

How can I watch?

This match will not be televised live.

Highlights will be available after the game on Sky Sports YouTube channel and Match of the Day.

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"He is ready to start any game" - Ange Postecoglou gives Mikey Moore approval ahead of Crystal Palace

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After an impressive performance against AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League, Ange Postecoglou has hinted Mikey Moore could be in line for his first Premier League start for Tottenham.

Spurs travel to Selhurst Park on Sunday, to face a Crystal Palace side who are yet to win a league game this season.

With Son Heung-min unlikely to feature due to injury, there is room for a new left winger to make his mark and impress Postecoglou.

"He's one of the options. His body is still adjusting to this level, so to ask to play two games in a short space of time, we have to be cautious about how we handle him.

"But we'll have a look at how the team shapes up," stated the Australian manager. "He's still physically growing and you have to take that into account.

"He is ready to start any game ... He's ready to start a Premier League game for sure, but it's about developing Mikey in the right way and giving him the platform to keep improving."

Postecoglou is clearly an admirer of the English prospect but is being careful about his game time, in order to protect Moore.

This, in turn, allows the London born 17-year-old more freedom to express himself when given playing opportunities.

"Mikey just wants to be Mikey"

"He works hard every day and he's making an impact at an age where its very hard to make an impact at this level," noted Postecoglou.

"It's the beginning of his career, and like I said from my perspective it's about constantly making sure we're working with him and giving him the platform to keep improving.

"Mikey will be Mikey and that'll take him to whatever his ability does."

Ange Postecoglou has a habit of not putting a ceiling on what his team can achieve and he has the same approach to the potential of his players.

If it was not for Lamine Yamal, the raw talent of Mikey Moore would be seen as far more alien than it already is.

His composure on the ball, alongside his unwavering confidence to beat a man demonstrates he is not struggling to adapt quickly to the European stage.

The Tottenham manager further commented, "With young players, you've got to be really careful with their introduction into senior football.

"Even last year, he didn't really have a full season of football. He had a couple of injuries and went from playing U18s football to very little U21s before we integrated him."

The speed of Moore's transition into the first team, without going out on loan, is testament to his natural footballing ability.

Previously, we have seen the likes of Troy Parrott and Dane Scarlett immediately loaned out to gain experience, this was also the case for Harry Kane.

It is yet to be seen whether the fast-tracked pathway into the first team set-up will benefit or hinder Mikey Moore, but the early signs are certainly positive.

"So far, whatever we have asked of him, he has made a real impact and the plan is to continue to do that."

With the return of Wilson Odobert, along with Timo Werner, it is not guaranteed that Englishman will walk into the team in Son's absence.

Often Postecoglou has opted for Timo Werner, but after being subbed off at half time following some missed chances early on, the Australian may opt for a more confident winger.

Odobert did feature against AZ Alkmaar and could make a return to the Lilywhites' starting line-up, however the brilliance of Mikey Moore is hard to ignore.

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Tottenham 1-0 AZ Alkmaar: Post-Match Tottenham Player Ratings

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Tottenham Hotspur made it three wins from three in their Europa League campaign, beating AZ Alkmaar 1-0.

A Richarlison penalty in the 53rd minute was enough to separate the two sides during a low-key affair in N17.

Tottenham opted to rotate heavily from their 4-1 win against West Ham on Saturday, making nine changes. One of those changes was Mikey Moore.

Making his first home start for the club, the 17-year-old was the beating heart of Spurs' performance. After a first half where Spurs lacked zip, intensity and speed, Moore switched to the left flank and shone.

Their goal didn't involve him, with James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall winning the penalty before Richarlison converted, but the youngster's performance epitomised his talent.

Spurs' night was made easier with five minutes remaining when AZ left-back David Møller Wolfe was sent off for two yellow cards. AZ rarely threatened, coming closest when Mayckel Lahdo squandered an effort one-on-one with 16 minutes remaining.

From the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, here are VAVEL's player ratings from the match.

Tottenham Player Ratings (4-3-3)

Fraser Forster - 8

Making just his second start of the season, Forster impressed in between the sticks.

Made an incredible reflex save to his right to deny Alexandre Penetra and keep the score 0-0 30 minutes in, whilst his quick reactions allowed him to rush out and clear a chance away minutes later. Also made a firm save to deny Lahdo one-on-one with 16 minutes remaining.

Archie Gray - 6

Playing at right-back, Gray was composed in defence. He was always comfortable overlapping with Mikey Moore, but he didn't seem to do enough when he had opportunities. It was nothing poor, yet nothing remarkable.

Radu Dragusin - 7

After being sent off against Qarabag, Dragusin had a point to prove if he wants to feature more regularly for Tottenham.

Keeping a clean sheet, he did exactly that, with the Romanian rarely threatened and dominating any aerial battles.

Ben Davies - 5

Nothing remarkable from Davies, who struggled early on with a misplaced pass, before being knocked off the ball too easily for AZ's best chance in the 74th minute.

Destiny Udogie - 6

Always aggressive, Udogie's stunning double tackle early on outlined his desire to be bold.

He wasn't always comfortable defensively, highlighted by not closing his man down quick enough 16 minutes in, but he acted as an offensive option all match.

Rodrigo Bentancur - 6

Dictated the tempo of the match brilliantly and was always comfortable playing out from the back. However, he could have sped the match up more in the first half.

Lucas Bergvall - 6 (Subbed off '72)

The 18-year-old was composed in the middle of the park and produced a stunning through-ball for Timo Werner during the first half. Nothing remarkable, but the youngster is growing into life in N17.

James Maddison - 7 (Subbed off '72)

After being shipped off after 45 minutes vs West Ham, Maddison wanted to prove a point. Unsurprisingly, he was Spurs' main creative outlet.

He always looked to get on the ball and roam around in the final third.

The captain for the night latched onto a ball over the top before laying it off to Bergvall at the start of the second half. Fouled in the box, Spurs won a penalty, before Maddison fulfilled his captaincy duties by letting Richarlison take it.

Mikey Moore - 9 (Subbed off '87)

"He's one of our own," the South Stand sang during the second half. Player of the Match Moore was on fire after switching from the right to the left flank.

Taking players on and driving forward, he was the beating heart of Spurs' attacking energy. He may have squandered a golden header just five minutes in, but the 17-year-old – who was making his first home start – redeemed himself with a performance full of energy.

In particular, at the start of the second half, he dazzled past a handful of AZ players on the halfway line and weighted a perfect through-ball to Brennan Johnson. The Welshman couldn't convert, denying Moore a stunning assist.

Richarlison - 6 (Subbed off '64)

Making his first start since a 2-0 loss to Chelsea on the 2nd May, Richarlison needed a confidence boost — and he got it.

After an initial conversation between him and Maddison for the penalty, he eventually stepped up to the spot.

The Brazilian comfortably placed it down the middle of the goal to register his first of the season. It wasn't an incredible performance, eventually coming off due to cramp in the 64th minute.

Timo Werner - 4 (Subbed off '45)

Squandered a golden chance one-on-one with Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro 27 minutes in, guiding his tame effort directly at the goalkeeper.

His struggles continued when he fired an effort wide and high near the end of the first half, summing up his season. It just won't click for him in front of goal. Spurs opted to replace him with Brennan Johnson at half-time.

Substitutes

Brennan Johnson - 6 (Subbed on '45)

Replaced Werner at half-time and immediately proved to be more effective. Acted as another threat on the right flank, but he will be disappointed he failed to convert from Moore's stunning pass.

Dominic Solanke - 5 (Subbed on '64)

Had no service from midfield, but he helped Spurs run down the clock and press high.

Dejan Kulusevski - 6 (Subbed on '72)

Nothing remarkable from the Swedish midfielder, but he – alongside Sarr – provided Spurs with energy in the middle of the park. Also created a chance for Wilson Odobert in stoppage time, which he failed to convert.

Pape Matar Sarr - 6 (Subbed on '72)

Provided Spurs with some much-needed energy in the middle of the park for the latter stages of the match.

Wilson Odobert - N/A (Subbed on '87)

Thought he had been fouled in the box in stoppage time after latching onto Kulusevski's pass, but the referee thought otherwise. He didn't feature long enough to deserve a fair rating.

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Four things we learnt as Tottenham triumphed in London derby

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Tottenham Hotspur entertained their rivals from East London in an exciting match in N17. Having spectacularly thrown away a two goal lead to lost to Brighton before the international break, Ange Postecoglou had plenty of time to stew on that result and will have wanted his players to atone for their collapse on the South Coast.

Thankfully for him, and the home crowd in Tottenham, his players rose to the task eventually.

With West Ham taking an unexpected early lead, Spurs supporters will have feared the worst. The North London contingent often feel that West Ham raise their game in this fixture, teasing their visitors that this is their cup final.

This tends to happen only when those supporters feel continually frustrated by an inability to win a fixture against a perceived lesser side, and after Mohammed Kudus opened the scoring for the Irons it will have felt like destiny ordained another grim afternoon for those in white.

Thankfully, via a masterful performance from the majestic Dejan Kulusevski and an on-pitch meltdown which saw Kudus dismissed, the home side showed their quality to see their rivals off in style.

Here are four things we learnt from the much needed victory.

Strength in depth

It may not have been apparent in the defeat to Brighton, with Postecoglou seemingly resistant to making changes, but this match showcased how strong Spurs' squad has become. The home side went into half time having levelled through the excellent Dejan Kulusevski, but frustrated with a ponderous 45 minutes.

Postecoglou correctly identified that for all the attacking talent on show, Spurs weren't competing in the middle and therefore were not making the most of the talent in the side, so replaced James Maddison with Pape Matar Sarr.

On the face of it this was a cautious change, but in fact Sarr changed the game with his energy, proactivity and quick thinking, deservedly creating the final goal of the day for captain Son Heung Min.

If that wasn't enough, with his side in control the Australian manager had the luxury of replacing Yves Bissouma with Rodrigo Bentancur, Dominic Solanke with Richarlison and Son with Timo Werner.

There is still work to do on this squad, but the majority of sides in this league would look on in awe at the North Londoners bench.

Destiny Udogie's mental fortitude

The Italian left back will not be pleased with himself after showing Jarred Bowen the fastest route to creating the visitor's opener. He had positioned himself poorly and his effort to make amends was clumsy at best. Often a young player can crumble on the back of such an error

Udogie, however, continued to run his line and push forward at every opportunity, and got his reward in the second half to put Spurs ahead.

Having previously been blocked on the overlap every time, he learned from his experience and, having been slide behind by Son, used his body to shield the ball from his marker and turned away from goal. The space he had created allowed him to play a weighted pass back to Bissouma, who stroked home the match winner gratefully. Spurs never looked back, neither did Udogie.

Bissouma rising to the challenge

Bissouma hasn't had the easiest start to the season. Suspended internally after off the pitch antics and a loss of his place in the side to Bentancur meant this was only the third time Bissouma found himself in the first eleven in this season's Premier League. His manager has spoken publicly of needed the Mali international to earn trust back and show that he can be disciplined.

Postecoglou will therefore be pleased with what he saw from Bissouma's first start since September 1st, with the talented midfielder putting in the yards for his entire time on the pitch to protect his defence and support the attack.

He took his goal calmly, and he sensed danger far better than he has done previously. Postecoglou will more than likely want to see more evidence, but having scored his second goal of the season and complemented his undoubted style with some substance, he has set the bar for what he needs to produce regularly if he is to keep his place in the side.

Beginning to come together

Ahead of the match there was a lot of questions around which Spurs side we would get. This was probably unfair as Spurs have pretty much produced the same performance all season so far besides one half against Brighton and the home defeat to bitter rivals Arsenal.

The results have been inconsistent mainly due to defensive errors, but the overall performances have been on the front foot, imaginative and proactive with the ball.

When it all clicks, Spurs win heavily. Manchester United, Brentford, Everton and now West Ham have all been dominated and defeated in the same manner, and with the injury list having eased up Postecoglou will hope for this to become the normal course of events.

That is not to say that there won't be further mishaps - this is a young side and Postecoglou will be the first to say his side is a work in progress.

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Tottenham 4-1 West Ham: Super Son shines as Spurs bounce back in style

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Tottenham Hotspur came out superior of the London derby as Heung-Min Son sealed the win against a lacklustre unchanged Hammers side at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

West Ham scored first through a right footed strike by Mohammed Kudus, leaving them in pole position as they had not dropped points from a winning position yet this season. That would soon come to an end as a thrilling second half saw Tottenham control the game taking all three points.

The majority of the game was controlled by Spurs, with spells where West Ham looked dangerous in the first half. Although, the second half was one way traffic with the game looking like there was only one likely winner.

The travelling side had a couple of missed chances which should have been taken, such as when Kudus has one cleared off the line by Destiny Udogie, with it eventually travelling out for a corner.

It was an unforgettable London derby for the home side, leaving them currently in 6th.

On the other hand, it will be an afternoon for the visitors to forget leaving them in a disappointing 13th place.

Story of the Match

Within the first 15 minutes, the game appeared to be Spurs' with many chanced created, such as Son's right-footed attempt whistling wide leaving Alphonse Areola worried.

Against the run of play, Mohammed Kudus gave West Ham the early advantage after just 18 minutes as the English winger Jarrod Bowen cleverly weaved past Italian full back Destiny Udogie and drilled one across the face of goal to the Ghanaian attacker, who turned the ball past Guglielmo Vicario with a tidy finish on his right foot and scoring his 16th goal for West Ham.

Tottenham then got a grasp of the game with a chance from red hot Brennan Johnson was flicked just wide of the post from an intelligent cross by Udogie as The Lilywhites began to search for an equaliser.

After some superb saves from Areola, Spurs had their breakthrough through Dejan Kulusevski in the 36th minute.

West Ham were caught on the break with James Maddison carrying the ball from Tottenham's half before slipping through Kulusevski, who sharply cut inside and smashed the ball towards the near post with the Frenchman in goal getting a hand on it, but it was not enough as the ball bounced of both posts before finding the back of the net.

Spurs were now in full flow as shortly before half time Kulusevski beautifully flicked the ball through to the 21-Year old Udogie as he cut the ball back to the Spaniard Pedro Porro with an outrageous Di Canio-esque effort which was rifled just over the bar. The two sides entered half time all-square with all to play for.

There was some concern among the Spurs fan base as Senegalese midfielder Pape Matar Sarr was brought on for James Maddison.

It only took Spurs 7 minutes within the second half to get their second of the afternoon as Son slid the ball through to Udogie with the outside of his boot. The Italian then held the ball up shielding the defenders before playing a pinpoint perfect pass to Yves Bissouma, who calmly passed it into the net, with poor defending from the West Ham players point of view.

Only 3 minutes later, Tottenham stole the ball yet again with Son using the outside of his boot to play the ball to the Swedish star-man who then played it back to the Korean, who placed a rather poor shot at Areola who spilled it to Jean Claire Todibo, who poked it back into the goalkeeper in which it eventually found its way into the Hammers net. A rather unfortunate moment for the French defensive duo.

From this point onwards it was Tottenham's game with the Lilywhite's running riot in North London.

The super sub Sarr then nicked the ball from the West Ham midfield leaving Tottenham with a very exciting chance as the 22-year-old midfielder played an exceptional defence-cutting pass to the world class winger in Son, who used some tricky play with step overs to fool the £33m Todibo. As he shifted it onto his left and thundered it past the ex-Real Madrid star in goal, who had a frustrating afternoon.

It was nearly a 5-star performance from Tottenham as Dominic Solanke played through a pass, which was intercepted by the Hammers defence, but eventually fell to Son who wrapped the ball with his right foot leaving Areola dismayed as it hit the inside of the post - an inch away from finding the back of the net.

In the 81st minute the Brazilian number 9, Richarlison made just his third appearance of the season after an injury-riddled start, coming on for recent signing Solanke.

Tension had boiled over as in the 82nd minute the Ghanaian goal-scorer, Kudus tripped Tottenham star Micky Van de Ven and then kicked him whilst he was on the ground, leaving the Dutch defender furious, and pushing Kudus.

He retaliated by hitting Van de Ven and Pape Sarr. He was cautioned before VAR intervened and made it a straight red capping off a disappointing afternoon for his side.

Player of the Match - Dejan Kulusevski

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