Vic gives Al a headache
WANYAMA NODS LATE WINNER TO LEAVE PARDS WITH EARLY-SEASON HANGOVER
CRYSTAL PALACE chairman Steve Parrish provided a new sponsor before the game in Amsterdam Vodka.
Sadly, boss Alan Pardew supplied the lemons.
He made a huge cock-up by taking off defender Damien Delaney and sending on James Tomkins.
Pardew thought Delaney was injured and while the Eagles regrouped their defence Erik Lamela swung over a corner that Victor Wanyama powerfully headed home in the 83rd minute.
Delaney screamed at the bench saying he was fit to carry on and continued his argument along the touchline and until he eventually sat down.
Tottenham deserved to win if only for possession alone but the result cast further shadows over Pardew’s future after just two league wins in 21 games so far in 2016.
He stalked the touchline making lots of notes but he could not find the formula that made the Eagles soaraway successes last season before Christmas.
They were also-rans after that and lucky to avoid relegation.
Palace made a late second-half surge and at times had Spurs on the back foot but the lack of a decent striker proved their downfall.
England boss Sam Allardyce watched and must have been bewildered when he saw Spurs refuse to play Harry Kane as a main striker.
And Big Sam must had been equally bewildered when the prolific hitman was taken off late in the game.
Spurs had new boy Vincent Janssen as their main man up front and the Dutchman was terrible, missing a late open goal.
Allardyce must also have been shocked that Spurs chief Mauricio Pochettino left Dele Alli on the bench.
He eventually came on midway through the second half, replacing the off-colour Christian Eriksen when Tottenham were running out of ideas.
One of his first touches was to fire just inches over from 20 yards and his arrival lifted hearts and feet.
Eric Dier, one of England’s few plusses of Euro 2016, also looked in decent form while Kane played behind Janssen and looked lost.
He scored 25 goals last season leading from the front and Pochettino should just accept that Kane has to be the focal point of the attack.
The Argentine started with six across the halfway line but Spurs soon went on the attack with Palace keeper Wayne Hennessey saving with his body from Toby Alderweireld’s header and Kane’s angled shot within the first 14 minutes.
These are strange times at White Hart Lane with a quarter of the ground already gone as they begin their new rebuilding programme.
It dulled part of the atmosphere but not the energy on the pitch – although the sweat exposed by Eriksen became a laughing matter when he raced almost the length of his pitch only to fall over his own feet in sight of goal in the 20th minute.
Spurs continued to charge forward and swarmed relentlessly round the Palace defence.
Hennessey blocked a long-range shot from Kane in the 26th minute and the Wales international turned superhero once more by twice denying Eriksen’s follow-up attempts.
Spurs were aggressive but often sloppy in their approach play, as if they thought the job had already been done, and Pochettino looked angry and frustrated on the touchline.
They had won 20 of their 42 matches between the sides, losing only 13, and normal service was eventually resumed.
The home fans gave Andros Townsend a warm reception on his return to his boyhood club but he failed to produce his old magic.
It was still all one-way until Wanyama’s late goal but Spurs must vastly improve if they want to reproduce the heroics of last season.
Pardew admitted Palace “were caught cold” by a sloppy substitution.
He sent on Tomkins while first-choice Delaney was having treatment off the field but shouting he was ready to battle on and Spurs new boy Wanyama took full advantage bagging his first goal since his £11million summer switch from Southampton. Pardew said: “Damien was already carrying an ankle injury and could not get straight back on because of it.
“James was caught cold by the corner. I can understand Damien’s frustration.
“He’d play on one leg if needed and I have no problems at all with his attitude afterwards.
“We showed real passion and commitment at certain times but needed that one moment to change the game.
“Hopefully, Christian Benteke can give us that.”
The Belgium striker did not complete his £27m move from Liverpool in time to make his debut yesterday.
Palace desperately need him as they have now suffered two 1-0 defeats – home and away – with West Brom doing the damage on the opening day of the season.
Referring to his side’s title meltdown last spring, Pochettino said: “It was important to win to get our finish of last season out of our system.
“I was happy with the performance but not for us taking too long to score.
“I left Dele out because I wanted to play two strikers and also he was ill during the week and could not train. He was weak. We also need to look after him after Euro 2016.
“I went for Vincent Janssen up front because I know that Harry Kane can also play in midfield or just behind the striker.
“Vincent missed a chance but I would rather he do that than not create one.”