Poor Second Half Costs Tottenham Two Points Versus Palace

After a rather dominating first half, Tottenham Hotspur decided not to play for 44 minutes in the second half and it cost them two points in a tight table.

The first half was what Tottenham Hotspur fans have been looking for, the team possessed the ball well, completing 41 more passes than Palace had even attempted. Instead of stepping up and on the throat of Palace, Tottenham struggled to pass and maintain possession in the second half. As the fouls added up, so did the chances and Palace eventually equalized. By the time Tottenham decided to play again it was too late to get back the points dropped.

First Half Frenzy

Tottenham Hotspur were strong in the first half, working to keep Crystal Palace pinned into their own half of the field. Tottenham had 60% of the possession in the first half but both teams had opportunities and 8 shots. The difference was that Tottenham had created some good chances and Harry Kane had scorched one past outstanding Vicente Guaita to give Spurs the lead.

It was obvious early the game was going to go back and forth, as the pace and power of the Palace attack can provide a handful for defenders. Such was the action, just moments after Son Heung-Min was missing out on a breakaway with some solid Van Aanholt defending, Zaha is shooting on the other end.

The end-to-end play was benefiting Tottenham as they were the first to the ball most of the half. While not always first to the second ball, Spurs were quick and making sure to cut the opportunities before they arrived. This effort and activity helped to limit the Palace possession and got Spurs the ball back often.

The openness was even more apparent after Kane scored at 23 minutes, which allowed for opportunities at both ends. However, two things happened before the half ended, which likely changed the complexion of the second half.

First Moussa Sissoko picked up a yellow card late in the half certainly impacted the second half, as Sissoko was a bit more conservative defensively. Additionally, a late Eberechi Eze shot that bounced off the post may have contributed to a more conservative second half approach. Whatever, the cause of the change, the Tottenham team that took the lead did not come back out for the second half.