PALACE PUNISH SAFE SPURS
Hodgson makes Jose pay for team’s lack of attacking ambition as Schlupp hits leveller
JOSE Mourinho refers to Roy Hodgson as ‘ boss’, out of respect for the oldest manager in the Premier League. You’d forgive the Tottenham manager for calling the Crystal Palace manager something rather less gracious after this.
Spurs looked destined to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League with victory here.
Instead they had to settle for a point as Jeffrey Schlupp snatched a late, but deserved, equaliser.
For so long Spurs looked on course for one of those ‘ winning when not playing well’ victories that are intrinsically associated with title winners.
Not that Spurs played that badly, but this was more grit than grace from Mourinho’s men.
They appeared content with Harry Kane’s first-half opener. And they were punished f or their reluctance to go for a second.
Mourinho, at least publicly, won’t indulge in any title talk. Perhaps he is right to reserve judgment.
He will know far more about his team’s title credentials after Wednesday’s showdown against champions Liverpool. But after taking the lead, Mourinho will feel it was a case of two points dropped at Selhurst Park.
He will hope to have Gareth Bale available for Anfield, the winger missing this draw though illness.
There was no sign either of Harry Winks, but there was room, surprisingly, f or Dele Alli, named in a Premier League squad for the first time since October.
His bench role owed more to Bale’s absence than any change of heart from Mourinho.
But just maybe, there is life in Alli’s Spurs career yet — particularly given he was introduced as a late substitute.
Not that Tottenham remotely looked like needing him during the start of this game.
It wasn’t that Palace were poor — they created more problems for Tottenham in the opening 20 minutes of this encounter than Arsenal did for the entirety of last week’s north London derby. Wilfried Zaha looked to be in the mood, as did the everimproving Eberechi Eze.
But Spurs stood firm and carried a dangerous threat. If it wasn’t for Vicente Guaita, then Palace would have fallen behind far earlier. The Spaniard’s first save came in the 18th minute, a brilliant reaction stop to deny Tanguy Ndombele.
Moments later his instincts were tested again, this time to deny Kane’s point-blank header from Son Heung-min’s corner.
However, it wasn’t long before Guaita undid all his good work.
Even by Kane’s standards, there appeared little danger as he strode forward to collect Son’s pass around 30 yards out. The England captain’s ensuing effort was wicked — it dipped, swerved and skidded so much, it left Guaita in a mess.
Kane wheeled away in joy, but his goal was just as much aboutGua it a’ s incompetence as it was about his execution.
Not that Mourinho ( right) cared an iota about who should take the credit or blame — his team looked to be extending their lead at the top.
Palace, though, stuck at it, Eze mightily unlucky not to level three minutes before the break when his delicious curling effort from the edge of the box struck Hugo Lloris’ post. Zaha found himself in another promising position in the 56th minute, only to fire over the bar. Indeed, the 2,000- strong Palace support were sensing more than just a gallant defeat in the freezing- cold south London air. Schlupp then somehow managed to balloon his effort from five yards over the bar as Tottenham failed to deal with Luka Milivojevic’s floated free-kick before Christian Benteke hit the top of the bar with a towering header from Eze’s corner. The Belgian striker then somehow missed another glaring opportunity from another Eze corner soon after.
Make no mistake, Spurs were on the ropes. And Palace finally found the knockout blow nine minutes from time.
It wasn’t like Tottenham weren’t aware of Eze’s immaculate delivery from dead balls, so you can only imagine Mourinho’s reaction when Schlupp bundled home from close range as his team failed to deal with another dangerous ball into the box.
It was no more than Palace deserved. Their second-half display was brave and gutsy.
Mourinho’s response was to throw on Alli for the final throes.
And the England international had a hand in Tottenham’s best opportunity of the closing stages.
Alli won the free-kick that Eric Dier looked to curl into the top corner — only for Guaita to redeem his first-half mistake to tip over the bar and secure a vital point.