Match Recap: Tottenham get win against Crystal Palace
By Zaph Hutson
Spurs visited Selhurst Park and left with 3 points. Crystal Palace looked like they could break through the Tottenham defense several times but never capitalized. The only score in the game was thanks to a Tottenham defender- Juan Foyth. This match proved that goals can come from some unexpected places.
While Spurs looked to be the better team in most of the game, Palace never let them rest. Palace’s best players were both defenders. Aaron Wan-Bissaka was a constant thorn in Ben Davies’ side on the left part of the pitch. At the same time, Patrick van Aanholt made several dangerous runs up the middle.
For most the game, Palace’s best shot was by James Tompkins. Tomkins almost headed in one of Palace’s 10 corner-kicks.
Spurs Lucas Moura and Erik Lamela were quite tricky in the opponent’s third but never produced. They had good interplay, consisting of quick passes around the top of the box and running after long through-balls. Kane got some powerful shots on goal. One was a header in the 66th minute that led to Juan Foyth’s goal.
Juan of Our Own
And that brings us to the man of the night. There was something bizarre about Foyth’s game. It is true that he made a horrible pass back to Lloris that gave Palace a corner. It is also true that he missed a few crucial tackles. Still, he’s the player that got it done. Foyth’s strike was enough to give Tottenham the win and grow his confidence for the coming weeks. It was something special seeing him mature in just 90 minutes.
Foyth was great. Took the ball anywhere. He made one stray pass to Lloris at the start but the one-on-one moments all came from errors by team mates which he was then making up for. IMO the kid exudes confidence & the ‘nervous’ stuff is narrative based on the penalties last week.
— Chris Miller (@WindyCOYS) November 10, 2018
Foyth has everything to become a top top centre half and I’m certain he will ,
— christo karakanna (@CKarakanna) November 10, 2018
It’s Foyth get in there you beautyyyyyy, love it COYSSSSS
— Micky Hazard (@1MickyHazard) November 10, 2018
This isn’t to say that it was an easy win. In the last 10 minutes, Palace turned up the heat. Schlupp let a powerful shot rip, injuring Erik Lamela in the process. Three minutes later, Townsend made a dangerous strike.
Palace’s best chance at tying the game was by Alexander Sorloth. One of his teammates made a shot that fell perfectly to his feet. However, instead of finessing the shot- maybe around Lloris or through his legs- Sorloth kicked the ball with all his strength. Lloris’ blocked it by just standing there and Tottenham were still up by one.
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Foyth was the man of the match. Other brilliant players for Spurs were Toby Alderweireld and Moussa Sissoko.