SIMPLY TOO EZE

Lloris error costs Spurs victory

MAYBE Tottenham are still the “young ponies” Jose Mourinho labelled them a week ago.

Because a thoroughbred would have seen this tough encounter out.

True, Spurs did not lose, and have taken their unbeaten sequence to 10 games and made it 25 points from the past 33. But, after snatching the lead, Mourinho’s team could not see out the win that looked on the cards at a rain- soaked Selhurst Park.

No one, however, could deny that dogged Palace deserved their point.

It looked like a classic Mourinho performance – one we had seen so often in his two title- winning spells at Chelsea.

Grab a goal and then grind out the win. But, right now, maybe this Spurs side are not quite good enough to do that.

They are not far off and this was not a disastrous result.

Classy racehorses, though, find an extra yard of pace in the final furlong and Spurs did not have that yesterday. Instead, they got pipped at the post.

Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris’ error – dropping Ebere Eze’s angled freekick under pressure – was what cost the visitors at the end as Jeffrey Schlupp, who had minutes earlier missed a sitter from six yards, pounced to force the ball home.

Like the rest of his team, Schlupp had come back for more – and Mourinho’s men could not handle it. It was only after Schlupp’s goal that

Spurs, who had been the better side in the first half, woke up again but Palace’s excellent goalkeeper Vicente Guaita then pulled off two brilliant saves. Firstly, from Harry Kane’s close- range header and then from Eric Dier’s curling free- kick.

For too long now, Palace’s main man has been Wilfried Zaha and the winger was as mischievous as ever yesterday. But it was Eze who posed the real problems, breaking from midfield and making runs into the area.

Eze’s early shot tested Lloris and his pass also put Zaha clear, only for the Ivorian to shoot over.

Spurs then took control with Guaita pulling off his first great stop of the day to deny Tanguy Ndombele. He then tipped Sergio Reguilon’s drive over and pushed away Kane’s header. But Guaita would have been disappointed not to keep out Kane’s 30- yard shot for the Spurs goal. The England captain picked up Son Heung- Min’s pass to let fly a shot that moved in the air to deceive the keeper.

He saved again from Ndombele but Palace did not crumble and, when Eze found space on the edge of the area, his low shot clipped the post.

Roy Hodgson’s Palace team simply upped the tempo and Spurs could do little about it as they were forced to retreat.

Schlupp fired over and Christian Benteke clipped the bar. Then, in came Eze’s free- kick, Lloris fumbled and justice was done.