Mateta first-half strike stuns Tottenham as Palace claim first win
Jean-Philippe Mateta’s first-half goal secured Crystal Palace’s first Premier League win of the season, edging past a sluggish Tottenham side.
Back in the starting lineup, the French forward broke the deadlock after Spurs defender Micky van de Ven was easily dispossessed deep in his own half. Following a scramble in the box, Mateta fired home his third goal of the season.
Ange Postecoglou’s side responded well after conceding, and Van de Ven’s spinning shot from a corner deflected off teammate Brennan Johnson’s thigh before striking the post.
Near the end of the first half, Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson made a brilliant fingertip save to deny James Maddison, who was celebrating his 200th top-flight appearance.
Early in the second half, Dejan Kulusevski was unable to capitalize on Johnson’s setup, while Palace’s Eberechi Eze had his attempt under Guglielmo Vicario ruled out for offside.
Eze, a constant threat to Spurs, was frustrated when a penalty appeal was denied after he was pulled down in the box.
Later, substitute Richarlison could only smile wryly at the Palace crowd after missing Pedro Porro’s dangerous cross into the six-yard box.
Adam Wharton nearly netted his first goal for Palace with a stunning strike from outside the box, but Vicario managed to save it.
Desperately pushing for an equalizer, Spurs were unable to break through as Palace’s defense, who had only one clean sheet so far, held strong to lift the team out of the bottom three.
Eze Returns to Form with Standout Performance
After scoring 11 goals in 27 league matches last season, Eberechi Eze’s drop in form this year has puzzled many.
The 26-year-old has scored only once this season and was omitted from the latest England squad, despite contributing to the Three Lions’ journey to the Euro 2024 final in July.
Following Michael Olise’s move to Bayern Munich, Palace chairman Steve Parish admitted he was “astounded” by the lack of interest in Eze during the summer transfer window.
Manager Oliver Glasner reshaped his team’s formation this season, perhaps to offset Olise’s absence and maximize new signing Eddie Nketiah’s impact.
With Nketiah benched in favor of Mateta, Eze appeared to regain his form from last season, finding effective spaces to link up with the big Frenchman.
Active throughout, Eze notched his first assist of the season for Mateta’s goal and will aim to sustain this momentum as Palace heads to second-bottom Wolves next.
Another Missed Opportunity for Disjointed Spurs
After a solid win over West Ham last weekend, Tottenham had hoped to build momentum and edge closer to the top four. Instead, they became the first team defeated by an out-of-form Palace, who outmatched their London rivals for most of the game.
Prior to this match, Palace had only led for 37 minutes all season and had been the league’s lowest-scoring team. Despite holding 66% possession in the first half, Tottenham barely troubled Dean Henderson as an exasperated Postecoglou watched on.
The absence of injured captain Son Heung-min was keenly felt, as Tottenham’s attack looked out of sync.
Stand-in captain James Maddison exited after 62 minutes, in a game where Spurs lacked leadership and energy on the pitch, resulting in their third away defeat in five matches.