PAULO LOOKS A KEEPER!
Gazzaniga saves Spurs on debut and leaves Roy cursing his luck
WEMBLEY was usually kind to Roy Hodgson when he was England manager. He was never beaten in a competitive fixture and lost only three of 24 internationals there.
On his first return as manager of Crystal Palace, however, he found Tottenham are developing their own understanding with the venue, enjoying good fortune and grinding out results like this from a game they did not deserve to win.
It is a useful knack to have. The mark of title contenders, even. And something down to the depth of quality and mental strength as much as pure chance.
Spurs were without five of the team who started against Real Madrid and forced to call upon their third-choice goalkeeper, but Paulo Gazzaniga responded with an inspired display of shot-stopping on his debut.
He was aided by Palace’s rotten finishing, best typified when Wilfried Zaha skipped around the keeper and missed an open target, and it was left to Son Heung-min to conjure the sole flash of quality in front of goal. His beautiful curling shot, midway through the second half, settled the game.
Danny Rose, making his first Premier League start since January, and Moussa Sissoko were integral to the build-up, ensuring Palace could not clear their lines easily. When Yohan Cabaye’s attempted clearance fell to Son on the edge of the area he shaped it beautifully beyond Julian Speroni.
Hodgson turned and stalked back to his seat, exasperated by football’s injustice. Palace remain rockbottom of the league, without a point or even a goal away from home.
‘When you’re asked what positives to take, it’s difficult,’ said Hodgson. ‘We created chances and had moments where we were on top. I would settle for playing much worse and having a bit of good fortune.’
Mauricio Pochettino was relieved to survive the physical and emotional aftermath of the victory against Real Madrid and stay in the pack behind Manchester City.
Spurs were without Dele Alli, two-goal hero against Real, centre half Toby Alderweireld and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. Back-up keeper Michel Vorm hurt a knee in training on Saturday, which meant Gazzaniga was thrust into the team and almost made a calamitous start.
Confused by a teasing cross from Zaha, Gazzaniga was nowhere near the ball as it sailed by and instead felled Mamadou Sakho with a firm right arm. Sakho, stunned, required treatment and it was so early in the game no one appealed for a penalty when there might have been a case.
Palace, who sat deep, absorbed pressure and tried to inflict some damage on the counter-attack and from setpieces. Tottenham’s best results at Wembley have been against opponents who play with adventure. Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool and Real Madrid have all been soundly beaten while those who plot to frustrate have fared better.
It did not help to lose Harry Winks at half-time after he twisted his ankle in a challenge from Luka Milivojevic.
Of Gazzaniga’s performance, Pochettino said: ‘I am very happy for Paulo. It is not easy to make your debut at Wembley. He deserves a lot of praise.’ He added: ‘We knew it would be a massive challenge for us after Real Madrid. It was very tough but the result was fantastic, even if it wasn’t our best performance.’ Hodgson, though, was left to digest an unfamiliar feeling as he made for the Wembley exit. He said: ‘I’m leaving here as the loser, which didn’t happen to me too often in the four years I was coming here on a regular basis.’
Flying: Son celebrates after his curling shot beats Speroni
GETTY IMAGES/REX
Failing: Zaha fires wide after taking the ball round Gazzaniga
REUTERS
SUPER STAT: Four points from the first 11 games marks Crystal Palace’s joint worst start to a top-flight campaign, though they finished in 11th the other time it happened in 2013-14. TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (3-5-2): GAZZANIGA 7; Sanchez 6.5, Dier 6.5, Vertonghen 6.5; Aurier 5, Sissoko 6, Winks 6.5 (Dembele 46min, 6.5), Eriksen 6.5, Rose 5.5 (Davies 90); Son 6, Kane 6 (Llorente 77). Subs not used: Whiteman, Trippier, Foyth, Nkoudou. Scorer: Son 64. Booked: None. Manager: Mauricio Pochettino 6. CRYSTAL PALACE (4-4-2): Speroni 6; Fosu-Mensah 6, Dann 6.5, Sakho 6.5, Ward 6 (Sako 76); LoftusCheek 5, Cabaye 6, Milivojevic 6.5, Schlupp 6; Townsend 6, Zaha 6.5. Subs not used: Hennessey, Riedewald, Tomkins, McArthur, Souare, Puncheon. Booked: Townsend, Schlupp. Manager: Roy Hodgson 6. Referee: Kevin Friend 6. Attendance: 65,270.