.png)
3 hours ago
8
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
58 min “At this point,” says Peter McLeod, “all that’s left is for us to wonder how we will make our situation even more humiliating. It’s extraordinary, in fact, knowing that it will happen, but not knowing how.”
The Germans have a word for this, but I can’t publish it in a family newspaper.
56 min Here comes Gray again, lovely feet twinkling into the box; Riad does just enough, nudging him off balance, and though he bounces up after falling, Richards tidies up and clears.
56 min Gray has been a bright spot for SPurs and he beats Clyne down the right, crossing, then, when the ball won’t come down for Tel, he slides to the edge where Palhinha shoots wide.
53 min Palace have taken over, but need to be wary that, if they concede, things might change. Newcastle gave a brilliant demonstration of how to play with 10 last evening, brave enough to keep two up and with a narrow three able to dominate midfield. Spurs, I think, are playing 5-3-1.
51 min Now it’s Palace with the ball, winning a corner which they waste. It’s been a difficult season for them, but there’s no reason they can’t finish it as Conference League winners and they seem to be running into form at the right time.
49 min “Many Spurs fans, up until fairly recently, would have staunchly defended Van de Ven and Romero as being one of the best defensive pairings in the league,” returns Alexandra Ashton. “Both of them have let us down at absolutely critical moments. Both have attitude problems and are not as good as they think. I am so disappointed with Micky. If Real Madrid came in with 80m for him, I would bite their hand off”.”
Romero reminds me of what Shane Warne said of Monty Panesar: “He hasn’t played 33 Tests, he’s played one Test 33 time.” Just when you think he’s cut out the self-indulgent ill discipline, he does it again. Van de Ven I think might develop in a more nurturing environment, but what he did tonight was a total headloss.
47 min Tel takes the corner from the other side, it’s a poor effort … but one Henderson feels he has to tip over. Back goes Tel to the right and this time Palhinha wins the header, but guides his effort into Riad. There are calls for a penalty, but he couldn’t get out of the road. Spurs have started the half well.
46 min Tel picks out Danso at the far post, he’s goi a run on to a free header, and punishes it straight at Henderson who punches away and Richards heads behimd.
46 min Presumably unable to stand the sight of them, Tudor sends his players out early. Off we go again, Spurs winning an immediate corner.
As you might imagine, my inbox has never been fuller. I’ll try and do as many as I can, starting with Andy Flintoff:
“That penalty was on Van de Ven and no one else. He was totally ballwatching as it went over him towards Strand Larsen, letting Sarr run past him for the knockdown. His options then were to let him run through and probably score, or pull him back and potentially give Vicario more of a chance of saving the resulting penalty. It’s the sort of individual mistake that teams with low confidence make.”
Agree, it was a panic. I can’t make my mind up on Van de Ven: does he have the raw materials to develop into a high-level defender, or is he just another technical, physical modern-day defender who lacks the cruelty necessary to dominate.
Half-time email: “You’re right Daniel,” says David Hindle. “Paul Scholes also had the interesting tackling style and all the red cards...”
Er, I was asking not telling, but Scholes got four red cards in the league across his career; Wharton has one. Also, Scholes gave you goals and long passing off both feet; I’d love for Wharton to develop that.
Half-time watching:
Half-time reading:
HALF-TIME: Tottenham Hotspur 1-3 Crystal Palace
This could get messy and, given the state of things as it, that is quite something.
45+8 min A fair few home fans have seen enough. Whatever the opposite of vibes are, Spurs are that.
GOAL! Tottenham Hotspur 1-3 Crystal Palace (Sarr 45+7)
Chadi into Wharton, who takes it beautifully on the half-turn, Modric-style, before lofting a gorgeous diagonalpass directly into Sarr’s path, bursting into the box as Vicario comes out, making the finish, slipped down the side of him, much easier than it needed to be. This is a horror movie.
45+5 min Palace win another throw deep inside the Spurs half, cleared easily enough, as the telly cameras take in various genres of disgruntled locals; what, in Yiddish, we call farkrimpter ponim, twisted face. It’s more entertaining than the game.
45+3 min “What was that you were saying about Wharton?” wonder Joe Pearson”.
Exactly that! He has lovely vision and execution of forward passes, but to be elite he needs more. I was asking if he has it, because I’ve not really seen it and I’d love to.
GOAL! Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Crystal Palace (Strand Larsen 45+1)
Eeeesh. Tel plays Sarr into trouble with a square pass from touchline to centre, just outside the box. Even so, though, it’s a really wimpish challenge, Guessand in faster and stronger to find Wharton back on the right. He snaps a trademark pass in behind to meet the run of Strand Larsen, who tucks a finish under Vicario. What else can go wrong for Spurs?
45+1 min We’ll have eight additional minutes.
44 min I guess Palhinha has gone into the back three, with Gallagher replacing him in midfield and Solanke up front alone.
43 min Ch ch changes for Spurs: off go Souza and Kolo Muani; on come Gallagher and Bissouma.
42 min That penalty is a window into Spurs’ soul, a complete panic from Van de Ven. If he does nothing, there’s a decent chance Sarr scores – in fairness, more so than with Matheus Cunha at the weekend – but the penalty gave an even better one, and with it, 50 minutes of 10 men.
GOAL! Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Crystal Palace (Sarr pen 40)
With Mateta absent, Sarr takes responsibility, staring out the keeper then looking right and, when Vicario moves thataway, passing left. Palace heal following Maxence Lacroix’s dismissal at the weekend, and of course Dr Tottenham is their trusty physician.
37 min PENALTY TO PALACE AND A RED CARD FOR VAN DE VEN
Pure, uncut Tottenham. Strand Larsen easily muscles Danso away from under the ball, heads down and Sarr controls on his thigh, taking him into the box. So Van de Ven panics, pulling him back, and I’ve not a clue about what he is protesting. Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday beckons.
GOAL! Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Crystal Palace (Solanke 35)
Tel receives the corner shot and whams a cross beyond the back post. Gray, though, does brilliantly to head up in the air then, back to goal, battles superbly to hold off Richards before showing lovely feet to get away, dribbling along the by-line and crossing low, for Solanke to flick home adroitly.
33 min Now Spurs fly forward, Tael shooting and, when his shot is deflected behind, he noises up the crowd.
NO GOAL! Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 Crystal Palace
Sarr was offside. Let-off for Spurs!
31 min Sarr barely celebrated, presumably thinking himself offside, and VAR is checking, but I think the square pass went backwards.
GOAL! Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Crystal Palace (Sarr 30)
“It’s one of those” that looks offside but isn’t. A ball into Strand Larsen who holds up, wearing the defender on his back then, on the half-turn, he finds Guessand down the right. Still 30 yards from goal, he squares for Sarr, who looks level with Van de Ven, carrying into the box on the diag before sending a shot back the other way … which loops off Porro and flies into the far side-netting! Huge goal!
29 min I’ve seen better games of kalooki.
29 min I’ve seen better games of football.
27 min I’ve got a question about Adam Wharton: like everyone else, I love the punched passes through lines, but I’m beginning to wonder if he’s excellent at anything else and, if not, if that’s enough for him to develop into an elite player. I want more and better ball-carrying, along with big switches and third-man runs.
25 min Clyne catches Souza late and Sarr grouses, waving an imaginary card; he’s booked.
24 min Spurs are emerging into the game, passing the ball with a bit more pace and conviction – but without threatening.
22 min The free-kick goes down the line to Souza, whose cross isn’t bad but is headed away. Spurs go again, though, Palhinha playing into the box and Richards sliding in to intercept before one of his mates completes the clearance.
21 min Van de Ven carries forward and Strand Larsen isn’t taking any chances, knocking him over at cost of a yellow card.
20 min “Not long ago, a bad season for Spurs was finishing below 5th,” notes James Maslen.
I wonder if Daniel Levy still thinks that, after waiting two generations to get a good manager, sacking Mauricio Pochettino was the right move.
19 min Again, Palace can’t make much of a set-piece, Richards eventually miskicking and fouling Van de Ven.
