Crystal Palace vs. Tottenham: Winners and Losers from Premier League
A stunning individual goal from Dele Alli helped Tottenham Hotspur rally from a goal down to record a 3-1 away win over London rivals Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
An unfortunate own goal from defender Jan Vertonghen meant Tottenham—who had won the reverse fixture 1-0 at White Hart Lane in September 2015—trailed at the break.
However, Harry Kane got the visitors on level terms with a header before Alli stole the show with a sublime solo effort.
The midfielder chipped the ball over Mile Jedinak to tee himself up for a long-range volley that proved out of the reach of Crystal Palace goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey.
Spurs sealed the points in injury time, with Nacer Chadli curling home their third goal to clinch a Premier League double over the plucky Eagles.
Here, Bleacher Report picks out the winners and losers from a cracking capital clash.
Winner: Dele Alli
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In front of watching England manager Roy Hodgson, Alli produced a piece of individual brilliance to crack open a 1-1 scoreline.
The midfielder needed just three touches, all with his right foot and all before the ball had touched the ground, to score from outside the area.
He neatly controlled a header from team-mate Christian Eriksen before lifting the ball over Jedinak. Alli then twisted his body around to face the goal, allowing him to unleash a volley that flashed beyond Hennessey.
Even the normally calm Mauricio Pochettino joined in the celebrations.
The Tottenham manager said in his post-match interview, per the Premier League's official Twitter feed: "Dele Alli's goal was a fantastic goal and it showed his quality. It was unbelievable."
Pochettino's English is definitely improving—unbelievable was an apt way to describe Alli's moment of magic.
Losers: Crystal Palace
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Games often turn on moments. Alli’s wonder-strike proved crucial for Tottenham Hotspur, but only after Crystal Palace had twice hit the woodwork at the other end.
Scott Dann looped a header from Jason Puncheon's free-kick onto the crossbar with visiting goalkeeper Hugo Lloris grasping at thin air.
The rebound fell to substitute Jedinak, who reacted quickly to direct an attempt at goal. He too, however, was denied by the bar, meaning Tottenham enjoyed two lucky escapes just seconds apart.
Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew bemoaned his side's bad luck after the game, per James Walker-Roberts of Sky Sports: "We can't do more than we did today, sometimes the gods are with you, today they weren't."
Winner: Nacer Chadli
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Chadli made a real impact off the bench for Tottenham Hotspur, setting up their equaliser before scoring the visitors’ third goal in injury time.
The Belgium international was sent on just before the hour mark, with Spurs manager Pochettino taking off defensive midfielder Eric Dier to add an extra attacking player to the field.
The aggressive change paid off.
It was Chadli’s looping cross from the left that allowed Kane to nod in Tottenham’s first goal, levelling matters on 63 minutes.
The substitute then wrapped up the three points when he curled home a right-footed shot from outside the box. On another day his goal would have been lauded, but Alli’s stunner overshadowed Chadli’s strike.
Loser: Jan Vertonghen
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Knowing Crystal Palace hadn’t scored a Premier League goal since Dec. 19, Vertonghen decided to help the home side out.
The Belgium defender broke the deadlock when he diverted Wilfried Zaha’s cross into his own net, giving Lloris no chance with the near-post deflection.
Vertonghen’s day didn’t get much better in the second half, either.
Not long after taking a blow in the face from Crystal Palace forward Connor Wickham, the centre-back suffered a knee injury that forced him to be replaced by Kevin Wimmer after 75 minutes.
Pochettino expects to find out more about Vertonghen's knee on Sunday, telling Sky Sports (h/t Tony Mogan of the International Business Times): "We hope it's not a big issue but we don't know for now. It was painful with his knee and ankle but tomorrow we need to assess him better."
Chin up, Jan. At least your team ended up winning the game.
Winner: Tottenham's Title Hopes
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A UEFA Champions League place looks to be there for the taking for Tottenham Hotspur.
Their victory at Selhurst Park, combined with Manchester United’s 1-0 defeat at home to Southampton, leaves Tottenham five points clear of the Red Devils in fourth place.
Pochettino’s side have still not been beaten on the road in the Premier League since the opening day of the season, when an own goal from Kyle Walker condemned them to a 1-0 loss at Old Trafford.
Vertonghen's effort at the wrong end could have led to a similar result at Selhurst Park, but this Spurs side are made of strong stuff.
Considering they are only five points behind leaders Leicester City, Tottenham should have their sights set higher than finishing in fourth.
Winner: Wayne Hennessey
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Despite high-profile errors against Aston Villa and Manchester City, Hennessey kept his place in Crystal Palace's net.
The goalkeeper rewarded the faith shown in him by his manager, Pardew, with an impressive display. While he did concede three goals, the Welshman had no chance with any of them.
He did, however, pull off one outstanding save in the first half. Danny Rose looked set to volley home a cross at the far post, only for Hennessey to react quickly and pluck his close-range effort out of the air.
Pardew praised his goalkeeper, per Andy McSteen of South London Press: "I was pleased with Wayne Hennessey today. There’s been a lot of pressure on him and he was terrific. He had no chance with the two finishes at the end and that is what Spurs have got—that individual talent to produce a goal out of nothing."
