Crystal Palace ended their winless start to the Premier League season with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur at Selhurst Park on Sunday.
Jean-Philippe Mateta’s first-half goal was enough to lift Palace out of the relegation zone, relieving the pressure on manager Oliver Glasner.
The Eagles climbed to 17th place with six points, sitting two points above the drop zone, while Spurs remained in eighth on 13 points.
Palace took control early, showing high energy and pressing Tottenham into mistakes.
Their relentless pressure paid off when Spurs’ attempt to build from the back faltered. Spurs defender Micky van de Ven lost his footing while trying to control the ball, and Palace’s Daniel Muñoz was quick to capitalize, intercepting and delivering a precise cross into the box.
Eberechi Eze’s clever flick found Mateta, who slotted the ball past Tottenham’s keeper Guglielmo Vicario to give the home side the lead.
Reflecting on the defensive lapse, Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou expressed disappointment,”We could have dealt with those situations better, but it was a poor goal, and we should do better at that and not concede like that,” he said. Postecoglou emphasized that his team lacked composure in crucial moments, adding, “There were other solutions out there and again even in that moment we didn’t have to lose our composure. It just seems we kind of wanted everything to run smoothly and we know it doesn’t, especially in a game like today.”
With Spurs captain Son Heung-Min absent due to injury, Tottenham struggled to generate meaningful attacks. The team turned to 17-year-old winger Mikey Moore, fresh off a standout performance in the Europa League, but he found little space against a compact Palace defense in his first Premier League start.
Spurs rarely troubled Palace’s backline, with Vicario ultimately keeping them in the contest through a series of key saves.
Palace nearly doubled their lead early in the second half when Eze thought he had scored, only for the goal to be ruled offside in a close call.
Shortly afterward, Eze went down in the box appealing for a penalty, but the referee waved play on.
Tottenham’s high defensive line left them vulnerable, and Palace kept pushing, creating several more chances.
However, efforts from Muñoz and Eze narrowly missed the target, with Vicario making further saves to keep Tottenham’s hopes alive.
Despite the missed opportunities, Palace’s defensive resilience denied Spurs throughout the game. When Postecoglou introduced Richarlison, Pape Sarr, and Timo Werner in a triple substitution, they could still find no breakthrough against a resolute Palace backline that kept its shape and focus.
Frustration grew for Spurs, and Vicario didn’t mince words in his post-match remarks, highlighting the team’s lack of urgency, “They fight, and I think we lacked that today. We are disappointed because we have to fight. We play good football, but maybe sometimes we lack the desire to fight. They show a real desire to fight for something.”
As the clock ticked down, the Selhurst Park faithful braced themselves, collectively groaning when seven minutes of added time were announced.
But when the final whistle blew, relief turned to jubilation as Palace fans celebrated their first league victory since May, with Glasner’s men finally breaking through to claim the three points.
