An own goal from Ward and a goal from Son send Spurs to heaven
At least for one night Tottenham will have a five point advantage over second place. The team coached by Ange Postecoglu wins 2-1 at Crystal Palace and confirms itself at the top of the Premier League table, increasing the gap on Arsenal and City, who have yet to take to the pitch. Without the injured Udogie, Spurs suffered in the first half, but then put the game on ice thanks to an own goal caused by Maddison. In the final, the usual Son doubled his lead, a true bête noire of the Eagles.
out udogie
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Already replaced in Monday’s match against Fulham, Destiny Udogie, not at his best physically, doesn’t even go to the bench. Postecoglu focuses on Vicario between the posts and Davies wide on the left, while up front there is Son supported by Kulusevski, Maddison and Richarlison. In the first half it was Palace who took control of the game: Ayew and Schlupp interacted well with the midfielders, while Edouard gave the Tottenham centre-backs no reference points. Maddison tries to give way to his counterattacks, but the decisive flashes only arrive in the second half.
the usual son
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After the break, in fact, Davies remained in the locker room: Postecoglu preferred Emerson over him, more dangerous in the attacking phase. However, most of the opportunities arise from the opposite side, where Kulusevski pushes on the accelerator. In the 53rd minute the match broke the deadlock: Maddison took advantage of a cross in tow from Sarr, attempted a counter-ball shot and found the decisive deflection from Ward, who attempted to anticipate Richarlison but pushed the ball into his net. Less than a quarter of an hour passes and Son scores the second goal: in the 66th minute Brennan Johnson, on the pitch for two minutes, triangulates with Maddison and serves the South Korean in the center of the area. The captain made no mistakes, beating Johnstone and rising to 8 league goals, one less than top scorer Haaland. With 8 goals scored, Palace became one of his favorite victims: only against Southampton and Leicester City did he manage to do better.
eagles reaction
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Palace reignites at the end and, in the 94th minute, closes the gap with Ayew. On a pass from the former Sampdoria player Andersen, the Ghanaian controls and pierces Vicario with a right-footed shot from the edge. The VAR reviews the action, but in the end confirms its regularity. Spurs protest for a suspicious handball, but then hold on and resist until the final whistle. After more than ten minutes of injury time, the match ends 1-2. Tottenham celebrates, awaiting the results of Arsenal (playing Sheffield tomorrow) and Manchester City: for the Citizens the derby with United is scheduled, set for Sunday at 4.30pm. Palace, on the other hand, remains stuck on 13 points in the standings, with only one success in their last seven outings.
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