Tottenham Hotspur staged a comeback at home to defeat Crystal Palace 3-1 in a Premier League London derby on Saturday.
The Lilywhites were on the verge of a second consecutive home loss due to a superb free kick by Eberechi Eze. However, Timo Werner, Cristian Romero, and Son Heung-min scored to give Oliver Glasner his first setback as the Eagles’ manager.
Richarlison’s three-week absence due to a knee injury led to Werner being included in the Tottenham starting lineup, while Eze returned to the Crystal Palace team for the first time since January.
Empowered by the return of the playmaker and fueled by their recent convincing victory over Burnley, Glasner’s team engaged in a competitive match against Spurs in the beginning; however, neither goalie faced significant challenges.
Until the 18th minute, Werner received a pass from Son and attempted to go past Sam Johnstone in a one-on-one situation, but the Palace goalkeeper successfully collected the ball at Werner’s feet.
Spurs often controlled possession in the first half, but Palace’s defensive strategy limited their attacking opportunities and stopped them from making forward passes or using wide players.
Ange Postecoglou’s team had more purposeful ball movement at the beginning of the second half. Captain Son almost scored in the 54th minute but hit the woodwork while trying to beat Johnstone at the near post.
When Eze scored a potent goal from a free kick after Rodrigo Bentancur fouled him, Spurs’ brief period of progress came to an end in the 59th minute.
Instead of attempting to shoot the ball over the wall, Eze saw a space between Vicario and his near post. Vicario, who had shifted slightly to his right, was unable to react fast enough to stop the superb shot from the English player.
Tottenham created chances after conceding a goal. In the 62nd minute, the Palace goalkeeper saved Werner’s shot that was going for the top corner. Shortly after, Brennan Johnson missed a close-range opportunity that seemed harder to miss.
In the 77th minute, the Welshman redeemed himself by stealing the ball from Joachim Andersen and avoiding Jefferson Lerma before passing to Werner, who made up for his mistake in the first half by scoring a precise goal to equalize the score.
The hosts scored a merited equalizer, similar to their 2-1 victory against Brighton & Hove Albion three weeks ago. Postecoglou’s team accomplished another second-half comeback only three minutes after Werner scored.
Emerson Royal made a great throw-in that James Maddison received and then hoisted a precise pass over the Palace defenders from the right side of the penalty area. Romero outjumped Joel Ward and headed the ball well into the bottom corner of the goal.
In the 88th minute of Saturday’s London derby, Palace’s defense was exposed, allowing Johnson to pass to Son, who scored a goal into the far corner as Johnstone moved in the other direction.
Postecoglou’s team is now ranked fifth, having narrowed the deficit to Aston Villa by two points due to their recent success at home. Crystal Palace remains in 13th position.
Tottenham will play against Aston Villa next Sunday, while Glasner’s team will visit Luton Town at Selhurst Park the following day.
