Updated:
Jan 4, 2023
After a concerning slump in form, Tottenham managed to get back on track today in a thrilling 0-4 win against Crystal Palace. Spurs started the game without many key players again with the notable absence of Dejan Kulusevski who still hasn’t managed to overcome his muscle injury and missed a second premier league game in a row. The game started well for Spurs however it would be Crystal Palace who had the first big chance of the game in the 29th minute when Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha linked up with Jordan Ayew who unleashed a hard low shot that Hugo Lloris had to push behind. Palace continued to pile on the pressure and another chance came when defender Joachim Andersen unleashed a venomous strike in the 31st minute that just edged wide much to the relief of Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris. The pressure from Crystal Palace was relentless with Spurs struggling to even get out of their own half and struggling to find a sense of rhythm in the game. Tottenham were lucky not to be losing with both teams going down the tunnel at half-time with the score 0-0.
The second half began but as we know with football there is no rest for the weary. Crystal Palace started the second half exactly where they left off. Tottenham defender Cristian Romero struggled to bring down a ball that Jordan Ayew managed to capture thankfully for Romero and Spurs, Ayew failed to make the most of the opportunity. Surprisingly it would be Spurs who would take the lead in the 47th minute a beautiful bit of play by Spurs saw Ivan Perisic deliver a tremendous ball to the back post that Harry Kane neatly slotted away giving Spurs the lead for the first time since October 15th where Spurs beat Everton. It would be one goal that would change the course of the game and Spurs continued to pile on the pressure and a second goal came shortly after the first. In the 53rd minute, Bryan Gill played a beautiful slotted through ball to Harry Kane who dispatched the ball in what only can be described as world-class fashion and gave Spurs a much-appreciated 2-goal cushion.
Spurs continued to play well showing glimpses of the football that gained them a 4th place finish last season. And they eventually managed to get a third goal in the 67th minute. An intelligent bit of play saw the ball fall to Matt Doherty who hit a shot that Crystal Palace keeper Guaita managed to get a hand to however the shot was too powerful to keep out and Spurs were 3-0 up and Tottenham manager Antonio Conte finally had something to cheer about. Spurs weren’t done however and a 4th goal eventually came when Spurs attacker Heung Min-Son pressured defender Marc Guehi who struggled to bring down a difficult ball, Son eventually gained control of the ball hitting it off of Guehi and into the back of the net giving him his first premier league goal since his iconic hattrick against Leicester all the way back in September and Spurs found themselves 0-4 up and could see an end in sight. Palace refused to go down without a fight however with Ayew unleashing a shot in the 79th minute that keeper Hugo Lloris did well to keep out. Palace continued to try and deprive Lloris of a clean sheet when Wilfred Zaha unleashed a powerful low shot that Lloris had to save again in the 80th minute. Even though Palace refused to go down Tottenham managed to hold on and win the game with a convincing 0-4 scoreline.
The game ended with a man-of-the-match performance from Harry Kane who managed to bag himself 2 goals bringing his Premier league scoring total up to 15 for the season. The win is also a much-needed confidence boost for Spurs who will be happy to finally get a convincing win under their belts. The win also comes just at the right time for Spurs who will be facing their rivals Arsenal on November 15th. Overall a good night for spurs fans and a much-needed win for Spurs and Antonio Conte.
