The main focus coming into Tottenham’s welcome of Crystal Palace on Sunday was, of course, the home Premier League debut of summer arrival Heung-min Son. The South Korea international moved to White Hart Lane from Bayer Leverkusen last month and his double-goal salvo in Thursday’s 3-1 win over FK Karabakh gave a glimpse as to what was to come from the 23-year-old.
It was certainly an impressive opening 45 minutes for Son, who completed as many successful dribbles (2) as the entire Palace team combined. His movement in the Palace half allowed those around him to excel, most notable Erik Lamela, who appears rejuvenated with an increase in competition. A effective showing on Thursday night saw him rewarded with a start and he did not disappoint, with the Argentine far more comfortable in possession on Sunday than he has looked in the past. While he still has some way to go to justifying the £30m fee paid to secure his services, more performances like Sunday will help do just that.
Naturally, though, it is Son who will win the fair share of the plaudits and deservedly so. The former Bayer star left the field of play to a standing ovation with a little over 10 minutes to play having netted the winning goal, contributing to a rating of 8.28, enough to land him the WhoScored man of the match award. It was nothing less than Son warranted, having tormented the Palace backline during his time on the pitch, with the summer arrival playing 2 key passes and completing 3 successful dribbles in the London derby.
However, it wasn’t just Son who impressed, with Dele Alli and Hugo Lloris among those who played a key role in the victory. Signed from MK Dons at the turn of the year, Alli has effectively made a starting spot his own with a series of fine outings in the middle of the park. Injuries to the likes of Christian Eriksen, Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb has aided his rise from perennial youngster to first team regular, but he has grabbed the opportunity to cement a starting berth with both hands.
The teenage midfielder’s link up play with Son on Thursday night was a particular highlight in the victory, though they were denied the chance to rekindle that partnership - to an extent - on Sunday, with Alli deployed in a deeper role alongside Eric Dier. Nevertheless, that did not limit Alli’s influence in the final third. With Dier holding, the 19-year-old broke forward at any given opportunity, linking the two banks of midfield with aplomb, playing 2 key passes and having more touches (77) than any other player. “Another fantastic game from them (Dier and Alli), [but], we need to handle Alli’s development step-by-step,” Pochettino said after the victory and it’s crucial Alli is handled with care if he is to realise his potential.
That isn’t to say he shirked his defensive responsibilities either, with Alli making more interceptions (4) than any other Spurs player. Lloris also deserves ample credit, with the Frenchman twice denying Bakary Sako to keep the scores level, the second in particular - a fine stop to turn a low drive onto the post - enough for goalkeeper coach Toni Jimenez to celebrate as though Spurs had just netted. The impact of the duo cannot be overstated, with both players gaining a WhoScored rating of 8.04.
For Palace, though, questions must be asked of their attack. In defence and midfield, the Eagles were solid, with Brede Hangeland (8.28) - important given Scott Dann’s absence - and Yohan Cabaye (8.01) both stand out performers for Alan Pardew’s side, but in the final third; they lacked the spark required to break teams down for the second week running. Yannick Bolasie again spearheaded the attack for Palace and with Sako and Wilfried Zaha flanking the 26-year-old, the gameplan simply to soak up the pressure and hit Spurs on the counter attack. However, with creator-in-chief Jason Puncheon mustering just 2 key passes over the 90 minutes, the inability break down the Spurs backline ultimately cost Palace a positive result.
Granted, Sako forced Lloris into two excellent saves either side of half time, but with no focal point in attack, with Connor Wickham again missing out through injury, there was a lack of penetration in the final third. Given Spurs’ defensive frailties exposed on numerous occasions in the past, Pardew must shoulder the responsibility for failing to utilise the striking options at his disposal from the off. The Palace boss sought to right his wrong at the interval, with the inneffective Zaha replaced by Fraizer Campbell for the second half, but in a way it was too little, too late for the English manager.
The lack of trust placed in his attacking options beyond Wickham is cause for concern if Palace are to better their 10th-placed finish last season and it’s not as though Pardew is lacking in this area. Campbell, loanee Patrick Bamford and Lee Chung-yong are all viable replacements for Wickham, who is clearly Palace’s lead frontman. Perhaps, in hindsight - which is always 20-20 - the sale of Glenn Murray to Bournemouth was rash given their woes in front of goal once more.
Following the full time whistle, Pochettino felt his side deserved victory at White Hart Lane. 22 shots to Palace’s 11 and a larger share of possession (55% to 45%) suggests he is right, while Pardew admitted Spurs were perhaps the better side as the hosts ensured they avoided a Europa League hangover.
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