Finally, it all clicked for Crystal Palace. As Tottenham Hotspur’s defence began to split at the seams, Patrick Vieira’s side took full advantage, notching three goals in the final 15 minutes to send Selhurst Park into a frenzy. It was Palace’s first win of the season, and it was fully deserved. The Eagles will now command more respect in the Betdaq odds, and it may well prove that one or two of Vieira’s doubters may have to eat their humble pie.
Seizing control
The most impressive thing about Crystal Palace’s performance against Spurs was that they looked to gain a foothold right from the very beginning of the match. Under Roy Hodgson, Palace had a tendency to sit back and invite pressure, particularly against the elite Premier League sides, but they were in it to win it from the moment the first ball was kicked against Tottenham.
It’s clear that Vieira’s mission is to get Palace playing a more attractive brand of football, and there is already evidence that this is taking effect. At times they demonstrated some good link-up play, with Wilfried Zaha causing Spurs all kinds of problems throughout the match. The Selhurst Park faithful will be delighted to see their team playing with a greater deal of flair and creativity, something which Vieira should be lauded for, with the changes in style he has implemented so far.
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Taking advantage
Of course, it’s one thing playing attractive football, it’s another thing entirely to convert those performances into wins, but Palace made sure they made their superiority count against Tottenham. The game changed in the second half when Japhet Tanganga was sent off for two bookable offences in close succession. It would have easy for the Eagles to wilt under the pressure of making their man-advantage count, but they swarmed Spurs and took the lead through Zaha’s penalty with less than 15 minutes to go.
Often, matches can get tougher when an opponent goes down to 10 men, as they are forced into defending deep and wasting time. But in forcing the penalty and converting it, Palace wore down Spurs’ resistance and ensured that the game was in their hands heading into the final stages. Credit must go to Vieira for inspiring such confidence into the team — something that was sorely lacking under Hodgson at times.
New kid on the block
The real star of the show was Crystal Palace’s new signing Odsonne Edouard, who arrived from Celtic on Transfer Deadline Day. Having come off the bench with just six minutes to go, the Frenchman would have been tasked with holding the ball up and helping see out the victory. However, Edouard had other things on his mind.
Just 28 seconds after he had entered the field, Edouard found the net, taking a touch before swinging a left-footed shot beyond the despairing dive of Hugo Lloris. Deep into stoppage time, the Frenchman added another, controlling a high ball before guiding it into the net to secure a comfortable 3-0 win over Palace’s London rivals.
It’s too early to say whether Palace are set for big things this season under Vieira, but having only lost once in their opening four matches, and with a morale-boosting win against Tottenham under their belts, Vieira may well be building something special at Selhurst Park.
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