Round Four of the 2021/22 Premier League season threw up some brilliant action, drama and controversy and a few surprises too, the biggest of which came at Selhurst Park where Crystal Palace met Spurs.
The very first clash of the weekend was billed as a relegation candidate at home to the current league leaders as Spurs made the short trip from North to South London with a 100 per cent league record.
The outcome?
Patrick Vieira’s Eagles sent Nuno’s Spurs packing with a 3-0 thumping to lift themselves up to midtable and stop Spurs’ march in its tracks. So that, my friends, makes Crystal Palace my Premier League Team of the Week!
Of course, there is still one match to come as Everton host Burnley in the Monday night fixture, and that’s usually a cracking game, but neither side are likely to outdo the magnificent Eagles.
And an honourable mention must also go to Manchester United as the Red Devils thrashed Newcastle 4-1. Bruno Fernandes scored a screamer as Cristiano Ronaldo’s second coming turned out to be just as sensational as the Red Devils’ fans had hoped. The prodigal son scored twice on his return and his gleaming smile reflected a bright light around the Theatre of Dreams.
But Manchester United’s result was pretty much expected while Vieira’s Palace upset the form book. The Premier League 2021 betting odds on Spurs winning the title placed them around fifth or sixth, while the Eagles were hovering around or just above the bottom three. But this result turned the odds and all logic on their heads.
The pre-match SBOTOP odds offered a good price on a home win but with 18 shots to two and four to one on target… and three to nil in the net; the hosts were totally dominant from start to finish.
A penalty converted by Wilfried Zaha and a double for debut striker Odsonne Edouard blew Spurs away after the visitors went down to ten men, when defender Japhet Tanganga received his marching orders earning two yellow cards within five explosive minutes.
The first came when he clashed with Zaha; the Ivorian was also booked in the ensuing scuffle and then, almost before the referee had returned his cards to his pocket, Tanganga ploughed into Jordan Ayew and yellow turned to red.
Up to that point midway through the second half, the Eagles had matched and bettered anything Spurs could do as Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Lucas Moura struggled to make any inroads into the Palace defence, and now the hosts came out on the all-out attack.
It seemed a goal would come sooner rather than later, but the visitors held out until the 76th minute when a cross from Conor Gallagher hit Ben Davies on the arm and the referee pointed to the spot.
Zaha has been Crystal Palace’s go-to man for seven seasons and he was coolness personified as he stroked home the penalty. The stage was set for new signing Edouard, an £18m recruit from Celtic on deadline day, and when he came off the bench on 84 minutes, he scored his first for the club just 28 seconds later before bagging the Eagles’ third in injury time.
It was Palace’s first league win in the Vieira era after he named an unchanged team from the side which held high-flying West Ham to a 2-2 draw, and the boss was delighted.
He had earlier laughed off comparisons between Spurs striker Harry Kane and his former Arsenal team-mate Thierry Henry, saying: “Kane can finish inside the box, outside the box, he can create chances. He is a modern number nine and can change position. But Thierry Henry, I am sorry he is in a different level. I love Kane, he is a fantastic player but Thierry is still Thierry.”
After Spurs’ limp display, registering just two shots in over 90 minutes, it’s hard to disagree with the Palace boss and now Nuno must lift his team again, and get Kane, who spent the summer wondering whether he’d be in London or Manchester, focused on scoring the goals which could keep Spurs in the top four race.
Crystal Palace 3-0 Tottenham Hotspur was one of the biggest Premier League 2021 results of the campaign so far, and it could give the Eagles lift-off, while Spurs have drifted out of the top five and will be determined to get back on track next week when they host title hopefuls Chelsea. That game, against Thomas Tuchel’s impressive side, will be another serious test of Spurs’ credentials.
Meanwhile, Palace have a week to reflect on their victory and work out how they can replicate it when they meet another giant, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool at Anfield.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
