Tottenham 3-1 Crystal Palace: Player Ratings

Highlights

• Tottenham Hotspur came from behind to beat Crystal Palace, moving closer to the Premier League’s top four.
• Timo Werner, Cristian Romero and Heung-min Son got their names on the scoresheet as Spurs came out on top.
• Eberechi Eze had given Crystal Palace the lead as they looked to build on a positive start under boss Oliver Glasner.

Tottenham Hotspur moved to within two points of the Premier League’s top four when they found the back of the net three times in 11 second half minutes to sweep Crystal Palace aside.

Although Eberechi Eze gave the Eagles hope of sealing back-to-back wins by firing home an inch-perfect free-kick, Ange Postecoglou’s charges responded with goals from Timo Werner, Cristian Romero and Heung-min Son.

Spurs’ comeback victory resulted in Oliver Glasner being condemned to his first defeat since taking over as Palace’s boss last month, following the departure of Roy Hodgson.

Tottenham Hotspur

Guglielmo Vicario – 6/10

Was given no chance when it came to Eze’s goal, but he had very little to deal with over the course of the encounter.

Emerson Royal – 6/10

Made a number of important interventions and attempted to put Palace on the back foot with overlapping runs.

Cristian Romero – 7/10

Did well to keep Jean-Philippe Mateta at bay, giving him very little to feed off, and popped up with a goal at a crucial time.

Micky van de Ven – 7/10

Used his pace to get Tottenham out of a few sticky situations. He, along with Romero, shone as Mateta was frustrated in the final third of the pitch.

Destiny Udogie – 6/10

Made a number of attacking runs and, on a couple of occasions, should have gone for goal after working himself into positive positions.

Yves Bissouma – 6/10

Composed on the ball and continuously provided Romero and van de Ven with an option. Made some vital tackles in the middle of the park as well.

Rodrigo Bentancur – 5/10

Lost possession on a couple of occasions and gave away the free-kick that led to Eze breaking the deadlock. The foul on the goalscorer also resulted in the midfielder being booked.

Dejan Kulusevski – 6/10

One of his quieter games as he struggled to find a way past Tyrick Mitchell at times, but his wing play also helped Tottenham to mount their comeback.

James Maddison – 7/10

Gave the ball away cheaply on a few occasions, but his assist for Romero’s goal was a moment of genius as he looped the ball over the top for what proved to be Tottenham’s second goal of the contest.

Timo Werner – 8/10

Should have got off the mark in a Tottenham shirt when he found himself one-on-one with goalkeeper Sam Johnstone in the first half, but he refused to give up and deservedly scored after also creating some openings for his teammates.

Heung-min Son – 8/10

Was unlucky not to get his name on the scoresheet when he struck the post soon after the break, but he was always alert and that allowed him to grab Spurs’ third to end Palace’s hopes of stealing a point late on.

Crystal Palace

Sam Johnstone – 7/10

Did brilliantly to thwart Werner when the German went through on goal, clawing his effort away. Was needlessly booked for time-wasting when Palace were 1-0 up, but he could do nothing about any of Tottenham’s three goals.

Daniel Munoz – 5/10

Had a difficult day up against Werner, who broke through his challenges a number of times and was left unmarked when the German grabbed the equaliser.

Joel Ward – 6/10

Did his best to offer Munoz cover, but the Palace captain also found it tough to end Werner’s runs.

Joachim Andersen – 5/10

His mistake led to Tottenham getting back on level terms, with Brennan Johnson dispossessing the Denmark international in a dangerous area of the pitch. His attempts to get Palace up the pitch also led to Son being able to break away and grab the hosts’ third of the afternoon.

Chris Richards – 6/10

Headed a few Tottenham corners away from danger as he attempted to play a pivotal role in Palace keeping another clean sheet, but his efforts were in vain.

Tyrick Mitchell – 6/10

Kept Kulusevski quiet for extensive periods of the encounter, but found it difficult to deal with Johnson after the Wales international came off the bench.

Adam Wharton – 6/10

Having only headed into the Premier League during the winter transfer window, Wharton is showing plenty of promise. His set-piece deliveries could have been better, with Tottenham being able to clear their lines with ease at times, but he made a number of good tackles.

Jefferson Lerma – 6/10

Picked up a cheap booking when he caught Maddison with his elbow while attempting to make a challenge, but he was key in frustrating Tottenham in the first half.

Jordan Ayew – 5/10

He has been in fine form this season, but he was not given a sniff of a chance against Tottenham other than an early opportunity which he fired over the top.

Eberechi Eze – 7/10

Scored a sensational free-kick, giving Vicario no chance, and he constantly looked to cause Tottenham’s backline problems before being substituted as he continues his return from the sidelines.

Jean-Philippe Mateta – 5/10

Was forced to feed off scraps as Palace struggled to get up the pitch, while he was often outmuscled by Romero and van de Ven on a difficult afternoon.

Man of the match

Timo Werner

It looked like it was going to be a frustrating afternoon for Werner when he missed a golden opportunity during the first half, which would have put Tottenham in the ascendancy, but he refused to rest on his laurels and was a constant menace down the hosts’ left-hand side.

The 5 ft 11 attacker continuously drove at Munoz and created opportunities for his teammates before eventually getting his name on the scoresheet to get the Spurs comeback underway.

There were plenty of doubters when Postecoglou made Werner his first signing of the winter transfer window, but his performance against Palace will have pleased the former Celtic chief.

All statistics courtesy of WhoScored