FROM SELHURST PARK - Crystal Palace earned their first win of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign with a 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur.
The sun beamed down on one half of the south London pitch on Sunday afternoon, both literally and metaphorically as Palace delivered a convincing performance against the north London side to seal their first win of the season.
A first-half strike from Jean-Philippe Mateta was enough to separate the sides, while skilful footwork from Ebere Eze tested Tottenham's poor defenders.
How the game unfolded
It was a slow start to proceedings at Selhurst Park, as neither the home side nor the visitors began the game with much energy or desire. Tottenham were the early dominators, but even they lacked the ability to create any notable opening chances.
The timekeeper would've been the most active person inside the ground in the opening 20 minutes, with play consistently paused due to awkward knocks or worrying falls. Crystal Palace were the first to make a forced substitution, bringing on Will Hughes in place of Jefferson Lerma.
Then, on the half-hour mark Jean-Philippe Mateta took advantage of Tottenham's poor defending at the back to slot the ball into the bottom corner of the net. It was the Palace star whose name was added to the scoresheet, but Spurs' backline should've at least been credited with an assist for making it so easy.
At 1-0, Vengaboys' Boom Boom Boom Boom!! echoed around the stadium, while Palace fans grabbed the opportunity to celebrate their star striker.
Minutes after going 1-0 down, Tottenham faced yet another setback as Dejan Kulusevski was added to the book for speaking back to referee Darren Bond. He almost made up for it moments later after firing a shot on target, but it fell right into the hands of Dean Henderson.
The hosts almost had the chance to double their lead just before the break, as a Palace corner fell to Ebere Eze. The winger attempted a shot which sailed over the net. Tottenham reacted well on the counter, charging towards Henderson's box before narrowly missing out on a chance to equalise.
Minutes after play resumed, Eze thought he had doubled his side's lead after sprinting towards Guglielmo Vicario's goal to fire the ball into the back of the net and past the keeper. After a VAR check the goal was ruled offside, but Eze's skill and trickery continued to show throughout the half.
Palace continued to be the dominant side throughout the second-half, attempting strong chance after strong chance. Their efforts were rewarded, as they secured their first win of the season when the whistle blew 1-0 at full-time.
Crystal Palace player ratings (3-4-2-1)
GK: Dean Henderson - 6/10 - Henderson was, shockingly, rarely tested by Tottenham's attacking stars. He did make a fantastic save to stop James Maddison from bagging a goal before half-time, looking comfortable between the sticks.
CB: Trevoh Chalobah - 7/10 - Chalobah channelled his inner Nathaniel Clyne in defence, covering his players well whilst ensuring that those around him had enough space to thrive. It was a fantastic performance from the defender, who shined alongside Palace's impressive defenders.
CB: Marc Guehi - 6/10 - Guehi did well to cover the wide channels in this position, it's no surprise that Palace are reluctant to let him go. His versatility offered a lot for his side, who took advantage of his ability to mark different areas of the pitch.
CB: Maxence Lacroix - 7/10 - If Glasner hopes to see success from Lacroix, he needs to continue playing him in the centre of defence like this. The centre-back oozed confidence at the back and relished the opportunity to dictate play.
RM: Daniel Munoz - 7/10 - An excellent performance from Munoz who was back to his absolute best against Tottenham. He timed every touch to perfection and worked hard to be in the right places at the right times to support his side.
CM: Adam Wharton - 6/10 - Despite his injury worries, Wharton started against Tottenham and looked strong in midfield. The England international offered a strong, commanding presence in the centre of the pitch - utilising his footballing IQ to create chances.
CM: Jefferson Lerma - 6/10 - Was forced to leave the pitch early after picking up an injury. Whilst he was on the pitch he did well to mark Kulusevski and impressed in his ability to drop deep. His injury welcomed Will Hughes onto the pitch.
LM: Tyrick Mitchell - 6/10 - Mitchell was offered the chance to play higher up the pitch and made full use of his skills going forward. It was a more confident showing from the 25-year-old.
AM: Ismaila Sarr - 6/10 - While his impact off the bench is often a talking point for Sarr, he was given a start against Tottenham and worked hard throughout the clash. He played in a wider role which ultimately proved veru useful for his side.
AM: Ebere Eze - 8/10 - Eze demonstrated his skill and ability on numerous occasions, dancing around Spurs' defenders with ease. He did find the back of the net early in the second half, but was denied the chance to etch his name onto the scoresheet after being ruled offside.
ST: Jean Phillipe-Mateta - 8/10 - Mateta seperated the two sides during the opening 45 minutes after firing a shot into the bottom corner of Tottenham's net. He continued to taunt his opponent, proving to be a handful for Spurs.
Substitutes
SUB: Will Hughes (22' for Lerma) - 7/10
SUB: Eddie Nketiah (67' for Sarr) - 6/10
Subs not used: Matt Turner (GK) Joel Ward, Nathaniel Clyne, Caleb Kporha, Asher Agbinone, Jeffrey Schlupp.
Manager
Oliver Glasner - 7/10 - Glasner, take your flowers and run. The Palace manager has finally earned a win, despite all the outside noise, and made some good decisions in setting up his team.
Tottenham player ratings (4-3-3)
GK: Guglielmo Vicario - 5/10 - It was a long afternoon in south London for Vicario. His distribution came under fire on multiple occasions and Spurs' inability to play out from the back put them in dangerous positions often.
RB: Pedro Porro - 4/10 - Porro struggled against the likes of Eze, who's light-footedness tricked the right-back in the final third. His poor defensive offering was not made better by any attacking threat either - with Porro failing to impress at either ends of the pitch.
CB: Cristian Romero - 4/10 - Took almost all of Tottenham's corners but failed to make use of them. His choice on the pitch often put his teammates into difficult positions, hindering his team rather than helping.
CB: Micky van de Ven - 5/10 - Van de Ven was one of the better in the backline against Palace, but still made foolish mistakes and failed to contribute in defence. He was lucky to only receive a yellow card after fouling Sarr.
LB: Destiny Udogie - 5/10 - Spurs' defensive players are the ones who took all the stick against Palace. Udogie made wasteful passes and gave away the ball on too many occasions. A poor showing from the left-back.
CM: Dejan Kulusevski - 5/10 - Kulusevski was shown a yellow card for talking back to the referee and then was later subbed off. That pretty much sums up his outing against Palace.
CM: Yves Bissouma - 4/10 - Another player who looked nervous and ultimately failed to impress - Bissouma. He offered slightly more than some of the players around him, but not enough to make an impact on the game.
CM: James Maddison - 4/10 - An inconsistent performance from Maddison who failed to get on the end of anything good or create chances for his team. Once he and Kulusevski were taken out of the game, Spurs had no chance of getting back in.
RW: Brennan Johnson - 5/10 - A quiet, timid performance from Johnson. His poor form has continued to let down his side, and once again his lack of technical ability stood out.
ST: Dominic Solanke - 5/10 - Isolated, left out and ignored, Solanke was never going to net against Palace when his team offered him nothing. His hold up play was mediocre, but his lack of end product was a problem.
LW: Mikey Moore - 5/10 - Probably not the first start that the 17-year-old imagined. Moore, like Solanke, was often left out of play whilst Spurs chose to direct their attack down the right hand side. He worked hard, but had nothing to show for it.
Substitutes
SUB: Richarlison (62' for Maddison) - 5/10
SUB: Pape Sarr (62' for Kulusevski) - 4/10
SUB: Timo Werner (62' for Moore) - 5/10
SUB: Rodrigo Bentancur (86' for Bissouma) -N/A
SUB: Daichi Kamada (88' for Wharton) - N/A
Subs not used: Fraser Forster (GK), Archie Gray, Ben Davies, Radu Dragusin, Lucas Bergvall
Manager
Ange Postecoglou - 4/10 - A poor outing for Postecoglou who will not have been impressed with the showing from his side. Slow substitutions proved costly.
Player of the match: Ebere Eze (Crystal Palace)
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