Tottenham vs. Crystal Palace: Winners and Losers from FA Cup 5th Round
In Emmanuel Adebayor's Tottenham Hotspur homecoming, his Crystal Palace side played spoiler. The Eagles hadn't reached the FA Cup quarter-finals since 1995, but, 21 years later, manager Alan Pardew's men crossed that threshold with a 1-0 victory at White Hart Lane.
Both fielding relatively strong squads, the gulf in quality was visible on their respective team sheets, but Tottenham's advantage was soured. During a congested schedule, playing three games in seven days—including a Europa League fixture in Florence, Italy, three days prior—the energy with which Spurs have relied all season wasn't gone but certainly lessened.
Even when showing signs of life, Palace were invariably in position to quell any Tottenham goalscoring opportunity with tackles, fouls and/or blocks.
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Not knowing who they'll play in the quarter-finals, Pardew's excitement could improve if they receive a favourable draw; as a Wembley Stadium semi-final is 90 minutes away at this point.
Winner: Martin Kelly
Separating the sides with a 45th-minute opener, defender Martin Kelly will take the headlines after Palace's 1-0 victory.
After a lung-bursting run, the 25-year-old latched on to a Wilfried Zaha pass and beat Tottenham goalkeeper Michel Vorm with a powerful strike. An argument could be made the Dutchman should have done better at his near post, but the speed, quality and placement of his hit was fantastic.
Scoring just before the half-time interval, largely against the run of play, Pardew would be thrilled with his defender's willingness to assist in attack and also keep a clean sheet for a second consecutive FA Cup fixture.
Winner: Wilfried Zaha
Considering Crystal Palace's woeful Premier League form (losing six of their last 10 matches), the FA Cup has become a place of solace for them. The only games they've won since 2016 arrived have been cup matches. In those matches, their star player has been Zaha.
Scoring vs. Southampton in a 2-1 victory and scoring the winner vs. Stoke City, the Ivory Coast-born Englishman is Pardew's main threat (especially when Yannick Bolasie was down).
Against Spurs, Zaha was an outlet. His creativity, trickery, vision and pace were all on display. Having 35 percent of the possession, what he did when Palace had the ball was vital. His skillful movement to free Kelly for his shot was perfectly executed in the midst of a Spurs bracket.
If the Eagles have any hope of reaching Wembley, they'll need more of the same from Zaha's magical boots.
Loser: Mauricio Pochettino
It wasn't a great day to be a Spurs fan.
Once Dele Alli's shot bounced off both Wayne Hennessy's goal posts and was cleared by Joel Ward, you knew it was going to be a long day.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino's side dominated in every meaningful statistical category. Shots, shots on goal, corner kicks and possession—all in Tottenham's favour. They just couldn't muster that one piece of quality to either take the lead or earn a replay.
Credit must go to Pardew's squad and their manager's tactical arrangement (frustrating Spurs as best they could), but Pochettino should look at this 1-0 as one that got away—rather than one lost.
Winner: Mauricio Pochettino
Despite losing, there is a silver lining for the Argentine manager. Having to balance three competitions is not a straightforward task.
Just two points from taking top spot in the Premier League and facing stern competition from Fiorentina in the Europa League, if any trophy were to be axed from Spurs' schedule, it's the one with replay capability.
Rejoicing a loss is ridiculous, more so when you feel a victory was obtainable, but once the loss happens, you must reset your ambitions. Twelve games remain in the EPL, and the north Londoners haven't won the Premier League's equivalent since 1960/61; they haven't won a European trophy since 1983/84.
If removing the FA Cup allows for greater success (or at least less confusion in terms of lineups and attrition) then Pochettino should say company lines after losing to Palace but know inside it gives him considerable advantages elsewhere.
*Stats via WhoScored.com; transfer fees via Soccerbase where not noted.
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