Jan Paul van Hecke 73'
Tottenham beat Crystal Palace 2-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday evening in round 9 of the Premier League, with Archie Gray and Jan Paul van Hecke scoring either side of half-time. It reversed the outcome of the last meeting on this ground, when Palace won 3-1 on 5 March.
Mateta’s red card and Gray’s opener
Palace’s evening unravelled early. Mateta was sent off by Michael Oliver in the 13th minute for serious foul play, after a VAR check upgraded the card.
Gray was booked for a foul two minutes later. He made amends in the 25th minute, putting Tottenham ahead with Mohammed Kudus supplying the assist. Kudus finished with a rating of 7.7 and 3 key passes, and Spurs went in at the break a goal to the good.
34 shots, 19 corners and van Hecke’s second
The numbers from the rest of the game were stark. Tottenham had 79% of possession, completed 759 accurate passes to Palace’s 150 and took 34 shots against 2. They won 19 corners, while Palace did not win any. Expected goals finished at 3.34 for the hosts and 0.21 for the visitors.
Palace kept the margin narrow for long spells. Their defenders blocked 13 shots and their goalkeeper made 7 saves. Óscar Mingueza was booked for a foul in the 53rd minute.
The second goal came in the 73rd minute, scored by van Hecke. He was rated 8.1, the highest on the pitch, after a game in which he had 5 shots and 3 key passes. Andy Robertson was not far behind on 7.54 in his 77 minutes, and Conor Gallagher earned a 7.4 in 24 minutes off the bench. Palace managed 1 shot on target all evening.
Spurs win three straight as Palace sit 18th
This was a third successive win for Tottenham in all competitions, following a 3-1 victory over Coventry and a 2-0 win against Chelsea. That run came straight after defeats to Liverpool and Aston Villa and a 1-1 draw with Manchester United. Roberto De Zerbi’s side are 14th on 9 points from 8 matches, with a goal difference of -2.
Crystal Palace are 18th on 7 points, also from 8 games, with a goal difference of -10. Nottingham Forest are a point behind them in 19th, having played once more. Patrick Sage’s side have won only one of their last six in all competitions, a 1-0 victory over Fulham, and had lost 0-5 to Brighton and 2-3 to Lyon within that run. Before this game they had won three of the previous five meetings with Tottenham.
Palace turn to the Europa League next, hosting 1899 Hoffenheim on Thursday 5 November. Tottenham travel to Leeds in the Premier League two days later, on Saturday 7 November.
