Kane breaches the Palace gates
LATE SHOW: STRIKER HEADS HOME 88TH-MINUTE WINNER
Spurs have three penalty shouts waved away at Selhurst Park.
London
Harry Kane struck late to secure Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-0 victory at Crystal Palace yesterday that initially moved Mauricio Pochettino’s side into the top four of the English Premier League.
Spurs appeared set for disappointment after struggling to break down a Crystal Palace fighting to move clear of the drop zone.
But Kane finally found the breakthrough on 88 minutes, meeting Christian Eriksen’s corner at the far post and directing a header past goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey who should have done better after getting a firm hand to the ball.
Spurs’ relief was matched by the frustration felt by Palace manager Roy Hodgson and his players who appeared to have done enough to hold onto the point.
The win pushed Pochettino’s men two points above Chelsea and while they knew the positions could be reversed by the end of the day, they could be satisfied they had increased the pressure on Antonio Conte’s side.
The withdrawal of Jan Vertonghen after the centreback picked up a knock in training the day before the game meant Eric Dier slotted in alongside Davinson Sanchez in central defence.
Tottenham could have been three up inside 16 minutes had the visitors made more of a succession of defensive errors.
Ben Davies should have done better after Andros Townsend failed to clear Eriksen’s free-kick although the leftback had a strong claim for a penalty after colliding with Hennessey.
Then two minutes later, an even better opportunity fell to Kane who was uncharacteristically wasteful when Patrick van Aanholt sliced a clearance into his path. Kane was only eight yards out but allowed Hennessey to divert the ball over the bar.
A third Palace error allowed Dele Alli to evade the offside trap and collect Eriksen’s floated ball over the top but the England midfielder rushed his attempt.
Relief finally came in the form of Kane’s 35th goal of the season. –