3 things we learned from Tottenham’s win
Like the match earlier in the season at Wembley, we made this a lot harder work than it needed to be. With Palace ravaged by injuries and set up purely to defend their own penalty box, we had to work to get our chances yesterday, and at times we did labour despite clearly being the better team. So, what did we learn from the last gasp victory at Selhurst Park?
1. Persistence pays off
Harry was not at his best by any stretch of the imagination, but one thing that is guaranteed about him is that he never lets a miss phase him. Relentless in the pursuit of goals, and despite missing an early chance, and shanking another gilt-edged opportunity in the second half, our No.10 stayed alert.
When that corner was delivered deep into the box with two minutes to go, every supporter watching knew our talisman would be on the end of it. Kane rose higher than his marker, nodded the ball just high enough so Wayne Hennessey could only get his finger tips to hit, before it ended up in the back of the net. The breakthrough came with a huge sense relief and keeps ourselves right in the mix for Champions League places.
2. We miss the Belgian pair
Vertonghen and Alderweireld are such reliable performers that they are always going to be missed when they are out of the starting XI. We have had to cope without Toby for most of the season, but his centre back partner has been ever present this campaign. Jan`s ankle injury meant he failed to start a Premier League game for the first time this year, and his absence was felt.
Both Sanchez and Dier have their qualities. The Colombian has been very good this season, alongside an experienced centre half, but against Palace, the lack of a more experienced calm head meant there were some nervy moments, and our opponents could have taken advantage if they had more quality in the final third. Wilfried Zaha`s injury looks very fortunate in hindsight.
3. Aurier must make way for Trippier
It was Serge`s first start in the League for a month, and you could see why. Poch mentioned after the game that the Ivorian is still adapting to the Premier League, but his hat-trick of foul throws and the fact that he missed a sitter, weren`t anything to do with adaptation.
I`ve no doubt that our manager will look to re-instate Trippier to the starting line-up for the matches to come over the next few weeks. The 27-year-old has been absent from European matches with our summer signing from PSG having taken his place in Champions League games. However, surely Tripps deserves to be selected for the return leg against Juve?
Thoughts?
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