Tottenham Hotspur came back from a goal down to beat Crystal Palace 3-1 after a flurry of goals in the second half to keep up the pressure on fourth-place Aston Villa ahead of a mouthwatering encounter next Sunday.
Eberechi Eze gave the Eagles the lead with a brilliant free-kick, but Timo Werner and Cristian Romero scored within a three-minute spell before Son Heung-min secured all three points for Spurs.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
38 | +15 | 68 |
| 5 |
Spurs
TOT
|
38 | +13 | 66 |
| 6 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
38 | +14 | 63 |
How the match unfolded
Spurs made two changes from the side who lost to Wolves a week ago. In came Werner and Destiny Udogie for Richarlison and Ben Davies.
Oliver Glasner made one change as Eze returned, with Odsonne Edouard making way.
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Following a cagey start, Werner had a brilliant chance to break the deadlock in the 18th minute when Son played him through on goal, but he failed to beat Sam Johnstone with his poor effort.
Spurs then had another opportunity to score just after the half-hour with a sweeping counter-attack, but Emerson Royal’s cross was beyond the reach of Son in the box.
Spurs continued to apply pressure in the second period and Son hit a post with a first-time effort inside the box in the 55th minute.
Palace made Spurs regret their missed chances as Eze marked his return from injury with a sumptuous goal from a free-kick in the 59th minute. He curled the ball into the corner beyond Guglielmo Vicario’s outstretched hand.
Werner was once again involved for Spurs when Son laid the ball off to the German in the box, but his tame shot was saved comfortably by Johnstone.
Substitute Brennan Jonhson almost made an immediate impact off the bench when the ball fell to him in the six-yard box, but his attempt flew over the bar.
Son was next to go close for Spurs after he showed great skill to get past Daniel Munoz, but he dragged his shot wide of the right post.
Spurs finally found their equaliser in the 78th when Werner was free at the back post to convert Johnson’s low cross from close range.
Only two minutes later Spurs led when Romero’s glanced in James Maddison’s cross.
Son wrapped up the win with two minutes to go as he coolly slotted the ball into the bottom right corner from a quick counter.
Spurs are fifth, five points behind Villa and the UEFA Champions League places, while a first defeat for Glasner drops Palace to 14th on 28 points.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 |
Fulham
FUL
|
38 | -6 | 47 |
| 14 |
Wolves
WOL
|
38 | -15 | 46 |
| 15 |
Everton
EVE
|
38 | -11 | 40 |
| 16 |
Brentford
BRE
|
38 | -9 | 39 |
| 17 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
38 | -18 | 32 |
| 18 |
Luton
LUT
|
38 | -33 | 26 |
Club reports
Next Premier League fixtures
Key facts
Spurs have won five Premier League matches despite conceding first this season, their most in a season since 2015/16 (also five).
Spurs completed 728 passes in this match today, the most they have completed in a Premier League home match that Opta has on record (2003-04 onwards).
Eberechi Eze scored his second direct free-kick goal in the Premier League for Crystal Palace, with his other coming against Leeds United in November 2020. Across his last four Premier League appearances, Eze has scored four goals, twice as many as he’d netted in his previous 15 games (2).
Son Heung-Min has been involved in 19 goals in his last 20 Premier League appearances for Spurs (13 goals, 6 assists), while he has scored nine goals against Crystal Palace in the competition, only netting more against Southampton (10).