Mateta strike sees Palace beat Spurs to win first game of season
Not since the first PL season in 1992/93 – a campaign in which the Eagles went down – have Palace started a league campaign without a win in eight games. Under-fire manager Oliver Glasner was desperate to bring back the feel-good factor to the club, hosting a Spurs side that struggled to get going in the first half.
A rather low-key start to proceedings saw Jefferson Lerma forced off through injury, with his replacement Will Hughes delivering an inviting cross that was headed over the bar from close range by Maxence Lacroix.
After half an hour of limited excitement, a defensive error eventually led to the breakthrough when Daniel Muñoz seized the ball high up the pitch, crossing towards the back post where Eberechi Eze’s majestic flick found Jean-Philippe Mateta, who lashed the ball home via a deflection.
Tottenham’s response was far from emphatic, but on the stroke of HT, they were almost level through James Maddison’s sweeping effort, denied only by a reflex save from Dean Henderson.
Palace were firmly in the ascendancy after the restart, and were it not for VAR’s intervention sparing Guglielmo Vicario’s blushes, the hosts would have been two goals ahead.
A raking ball forward from Adam Wharton found a marginally offside Eze, who charged towards goal before forcing a low strike through the hands of the Spurs goalkeeper. Chances kept coming for the home side, with a deflected Ismaïla Sarr shot calling Viacrio into action moments before Eze miscued a presentable opportunity inside the box.
Searching for fresh impetus, Ange Postecoglou made a triple change after the hour mark, subbing off 17-year-old Mikey Moore on his full PL debut.
Those changes weren’t having the desired effect as time ticked away, with Eze again testing Vicario, this time with a venomous strike from a free-kick.
Despite the Tottenham shot-stopper doing his best to keep his side in the game late as he pushed a fierce Wharton blast away from goal, the visitors were unable to capitalise, ultimately drifting towards a disappointing defeat.
Just a second win in 19 H2Hs (D2, L15) provides three valuable points for a Palace side that had led for just 37 minutes in the league ahead of kick-off.
The Eagles move out of the drop zone and above 18th-placed Ipswich Town, who now trail by two points. Meanwhile, yet more troubles on the road leave Spurs eighth in the PL, three points behind Nottingham Forest in seventh.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace)
