Crystal Palace earned a maiden Premier League double over Tottenham Hotspur as Eberechi Eze’s brace sealed a 2-0 win for the Eagles on Sunday.

Eze scored either side of the interval for Oliver Glasner’s side, as he netted in three successive league matches for the very first time in his playing career.

Having had two goals ruled out in the first half, it was third time lucky for Palace on the stroke of half-time when Eze tucked home Daniel Munoz’s cross from close range.

The England international then led a lightning break three minutes after the break and was on hand to sweep Ismaila Sarr’s cutback beyond Antonin Kinsky.

The result sees Palace move on to 49 points, equalling their best tally in the Premier League, while Spurs drop to 17th following their 20th league defeat of the season.

How the match unfolded

Palace dominated the opening exchanges and thought they had edged in front when Sarr tucked home from Munoz’s cross, though the goal was ruled out following a VAR review, with Jean-Philippe Mateta offside in the build-up.

The visitors created several chances to take the lead, with Kinsky making a vital save to deny Sarr before Munoz crashed an effort against the crossbar.

Glasner’s team had a second goal ruled out when Maxence Lacroix’s header struck the arm of Marc Guehi, but they finally made the breakthrough in the 45th minute when Munoz raced into the area before squaring for Eze to finish.

Palace picked up where they left off in the second half as Eze doubled his side’s advantage with a confident finish after being set up by Sarr in the 48th minute.

They almost added a third, but Kinsky was on hand to thwart Mateta’s effort from inside the box before substitute Eddie Nketiah saw his strike in second-half stoppage time saved by the Spurs keeper.

European hangover for Spurs

Domestic struggles for Spurs but were put on hold in midweek as they clinched a spot in the UEFA Europa League final following a semi-final aggregate victory over Bodo/Glimt.

Ange Postecoglou made eight changes and that contributed to a disjointed first-half display which was low on attacking intent and fluency, with Spurs giving the ball away on numerous occasions and very fortunate to go into half-time just 1-0 behind.

They were indebted to Kinsky, in for the rested Guglielmo Vicario, as the Czech made several important saves to keep the home side in the contest.

Spurs barely improved after the break however, as they continued to be second best in all departments and barely carried a threat going forward, with the likes of Mathys Tel isolated and the returning Son Heung-min offering no impact off the bench.

Postecoglou will also be concerned about another injury doubt ahead of the final in Bilbao on May 21 as Dejan Kulusevski limped off before 20 minutes were even on the clock.

Spurs now travel to Aston Villa next Friday in their final match before their opportunity to end a 17-year trophy drought in the Europa League final against Manchester United.

Perfect preparation for Palace’s FA Cup final

Ahead of kick-off, Glasner believed that continuity within his squad was key for momentum heading into their FA Cup final against Manchester City next weekend, and that proved to be the case at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.

Despite the enormity of their encounter next week, Palace remained focused on the task at hand and completely dominated the first half on all fronts.

They aggressively pressed from the front, forcing Spurs into mistakes when in possession while they flooded the flanks, with Munoz especially causing damage down the right-hand side.

Sarr was denied on two occasions while Eze’s deflected strike flashed narrowly wide, and Palace were unfortunate not to be further ahead at the break.

But Eze proved to be the difference with his two goals, and the 26-year-old was at the centre of Palace’s flowing moves, taking his second goal with aplomb after being picked out by Sarr.

This was a fine way for Palace to prepare for one of the biggest games in their history, as they compete in their third FA Cup final against Pep Guardiola’s side next Saturday.

Match officials

Referee: Chris Kavanagh. Assistants: Ian Hussin, Richard West. Fourth official: Simon Hooper. VAR: Graham Scott. Assistant VAR: Constantine Hatzidakis.