FROM REAL TO REALITY
Tottenham grind out the points and owe it to Gazza as Palace put up better show than kings of Europe
AFTER the glitz and glamour of beating the Champions League winners, the grind of wearing down the worst team in the Premier League.
Mauricio Pochettino’s flat side finally lifted themselves to stay in touch in the title race but this 90 minutes will not enter the club’s Wembley folklore like the outclassing of Real Madrid in midweek has.
That is also because Roy Hodgson’s team offered a more testing examination than did Zinedine Zidane’s Galacticos. Tottenham’s best player was their third-choice goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga, who could have been sent off after three minutes.
Palace’s star performer was Wilfried Zaha, who missed an open goal with the score 0-0.
It was that sort of Sunday lunchtime game – after the Lord Mayor’s Show a week before the real event in the City of London on Saturday.
South Korea forward Heungmin Son became the top-scoring Asian player in Premier League history with a gorgeous curling shot soon after the hour.
But a Spurs team missing Dele Alli were also without their usual effortless spark and had to dig deep to force the win. Until Son struck, such an outcome was in doubt.
“In football you must fight every day, it was very difficult and very tough,” admitted a relieved Pochettino.
“We knew it would be a massive challenge for us to be ready again and fresh after Real Madrid. But I’m very pleased. The result was fantastic even if it wasn’t our best performance.
“We were very professional and we fought. We had a lot of possession but conceded a lot of chances. Always you need some luck to win and I’m so delighted because the three points is so important for us.”
Tottenham’s first bit of luck came when Gazzaniga, who last appeared in the Premier League for Southampton in December 2015, came out and took Mamadou Sakho instead of the ball. Referee Kevin Friend gave a goal kick.
“I wasn’t livid about the lack of the penalty which might suggest the referee, who was in a much better position than I was, got it right,” Hodgson admitted. “Our defeat didn’t hinge at all on the referee.”
What did hurt was Palace’s failure to take chances. They have still failed to score – or earn a point – on the road this season, with Christian Benteke’s
winner at Anfield on April 23 being their last away league goal. How the Eagles need the quick return of their Belgium hitman from injury.
Gazzaniga made fine saves from Andros Townsend, Scott Dann and Luka Milivojevic.
“I think he deserves a lot of praise,” said Pochettino. “He was fantastic. It is not easy to make your debut for your new club at Wembley.”
The keeper was rounded by Zaha after another error by Serge Aurier after 57 minutes, only for the winger to fire wide.
Seven minutes later Son imposed order in a chaotic Palace box by curling home his 20th league goal to overtake the mark he had shared with his compatriot Park Ji-sung. Spurs had the win and Palace only sympathy after again failing to keep a clean sheet.
“We need points really,” said Hodgson. “I’d have settled for playing much worse and having a bit of good fortune where the ball deflects past the goalkeeper or the referee awards us a penalty which isn’t a penalty.
“I’d settle for that at the moment rather than people being relatively kind to me and the team and suggesting we deserved more than we acutally got.
“In football my experience is you get what you get. You don’t get what some people might think you deserve.”