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 more than their opponents as they disrupted 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 flared 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 of the season. 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.
Crystal Palace 1-0 Tottenham – Spurs Player Ratings
Guglielmo Vicario – 6
The Italian looked shaky in possession and found it 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 Ismaila 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 enough for the decisive goal, failing to 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 Mateta’s goal. 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.
Van de Ven was fortunate not to be shown a straight red card in the second half after hauling down Ismaila 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 Ange 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 of Palace 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, 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 on Thursday, his race was run 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 was shell-shocked by the intensity of their opponent.
Sarr will find hard done by that he has not been chosen to start recent 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.
Read – Postecoglou says Spurs fans right to be unhappy with Palace performance
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