Crystal Palace vs. Tottenham Hotspur: Score, Grades, Reaction from London Derby
Alan Pardew's first Premier League match with Crystal Palace ended in victory as the Eagles came from behind to beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 on Saturday at Selhurst Park.
Hired on Jan. 3 to replace the sacked Neil Warnock, Pardew saw his new side go behind in the 49th minute as in-form Tottenham striker Harry Kane scored the opener. But Palace equalised 20 minutes later via a controversial Dwight Gayle penalty, and Jason Puncheon won it 10 minutes from time following good work from substitute Wilfried Zaha.
The win took Crystal Palace out of the relegation places with 20 points from 21 matches. After leaving the mid-table security of Newcastle United, Pardew's priority will be to keep Palace in the Premier League this spring.
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Up next for the Eagles is a trip to fellow strugglers Burnley next Saturday.
Tottenham, who missed a chance to move into the top four with a victory, will continue their quest for a Champions League place next Saturday at home to Sunderland. Mauricio Pochettino's side remain fifth with 34 points, but could see Arsenal move above them pending Sunday's results.
In stark contrast to his latter days with Newcastle, Pardew received a warm ovation before kick-off from the home fans, who continued to chant his name throughout the first half.
Their enthusiasm was not matched by the on-pitch product during the opening 45 minutes, which saw precious few chances for either side.
Tottenham's best opening came in the 22nd minute, when the visitors worked the ball to Kyle Walker on the right. The full-back hit a cross into the middle that deflected slightly behind the run of Christian Eriksen, who hooked an off-balance shot wide.
Crystal Palace should have gone ahead 13 minutes later, as James McArthur split Spurs' defence with a through ball to Glenn Murray inside the box. Murray shot low with his first touch, but Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris saved with his trailing leg.
Within four minutes of the restart, Spurs went ahead via a familiar source. Nacer Chadli threaded a pass to Kane along the edge of the box, and Kane, working a half-yard of space for himself, shot through the legs of his marker and deposited the ball in the bottom corner for a 1-0 lead.
Replays suggested Kane had been marginally offside, but the goal stood. It was Kane's 18th strike of the season in all competitions, only one fewer than Sergio Aguero, per Opta:
Palace tried to equalise quickly, but Gayle shot straight at Lloris in the 52nd minute following a knockdown by Scott Dann. Five minutes later, substitute Adlene Guedioura missed the target with a long-distance effort.
The hosts won a penalty in the 68th minute as Joe Ledley went to ground under a challenge from Benjamin Stambouli. One minute later, Gayle slammed in the spot-kick to draw Palace level at 1-1.
Palace appealed for another penalty in the 77th minute, when the ball struck Walker's arm along the edge of the box. Referee Anthony Taylor declined to blow his whistle, and replays suggested the incident occurred outside the box.
It mattered little, though. In the 80th minute, Palace completed the turnaround. Zaha served as creator, cutting inside from the right flank through a crowd of defenders before hitting a cross into the middle. The ball deflected to Puncheon, who swept his first-time finish into the bottom corner from the centre of the box.
Spurs suddenly needed a goal to rescue a result, and in the 86th minute, they nearly found a lifeline. It looked a certain penalty when Ledley felled Kane in Palace's box, but Taylor declined to call a foul and instead allowed play to continue.
Tempers flared in stoppage time as Palace's Fraizer Campbell and Tottenham's Federico Fazio came together following an incident in front of Spurs' goal. Campbell had run into Lloris while chasing a ball, prompting Fazio to shove the Palace striker to the ground. Both players were booked.
The fifth minute of stoppage time saw Palace goalkeeper Julian Speroni make a fine save to keep out Etienne Capoue's dipping drive from long distance. It turned out to be Spurs' final chance as the hosts saw out a fine comeback victory.
Grades
| Julian Speroni | 6.9 |
| Martin Kelly | 7.2 |
| Scott Dann | 7.5 |
| Damien Delaney | 8.1 |
| Joel Ward | 7.1 |
| Barry Bannan | 6.5 |
| James McArthur | 7.6 |
| Joe Ledley | 7.5 |
| Jason Puncheon | 8.6 |
| Glenn Murray | 6.2 |
| Dwight Gayle | 7.1 |
| Adlene Guedioura (for Bannan, 46') | 6.3 |
| Wilfried Zaha (for Murray, 74') | 6.8 |
| Fraizer Campbell (for Gayle, 87') | 5.9 |
| Hugo Lloris | 7.1 |
| Kyle Walker | 7.1 |
| Federico Fazio | 7.3 |
| Jan Vertonghen | 6.7 |
| Danny Rose | 6.6 |
| Benjamin Stambouli | 6.6 |
| Mousa Dembele | 7.3 |
| Andros Townsend | 6.2 |
| Christian Eriksen | 6.1 |
| Nacer Chadli | 6.6 |
| Harry Kane | 7.5 |
| Etienne Capoue (for Townsend, 69') | 6.2 |
| Roberto Soldado (for Stambouli, 75') | 5.8 |
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