Blues gone from the day continues: Five things we learned from Crystal Palace 1-0 Tottenham

Tottenham lost ground to the teams above them in the race for a top four spot after they were beaten 1-0 by Christ’s Palace.

Jean Philippe Mateta scored the decisive goal after 30 minutes of fast-paced action Spurs they didn’t get into their groove when Palace broke their rhythm in what Ange Postecoglou called a ‘stop-start’ game which was a difficult sight for the neutrals.

But real joy for the Palace fans, who sang “Glad All Over” with gusto at the final whistle as they secured their first league win of the season.

Here are five things we learned…

Ange Postecoglou must be tearing his hair out watching this Jekyll-and-Hyde Tottenham side flip-flip between top four contention and mid-table midgets. After a four-goal drubbing of West Ham in style last week, they were back to their worst, the sort of form that saw them collapse at Brighton before the last international break . At least they got two scores and played well for 45 minutes at the Amex – in this shock at Selhurst they were poor in the first half and worse after the break.

Palace are better than their location and league form would suggest. Oliver Glasner changed the Eagles when it arrived halfway through last season and many were suggesting they would be competing for European honors this time around. But they were in the relegation zone at the start of the day after a terrible run of luck and results. This sharp victory against Tottenham showed that Palace can win if they work hard together, and although they are not yet prolific, they caught Spurs on a bad day and one goal was enough.

Tottenham’s players will have to reset their minds when traveling away from home. In four games so far, they have won only once, at Manchester United, while drawing with Leicester and losing to Brighton and Palace. Postecoglou was clearly frustrated that they had been drawn into a physical battle with Palace, who were happy to brush him off. At one point three players went down with head injuries in the space of ten minutes, and many other injury-related delays plagued the game at all times. “We had to keep up and not fall into the trap of trying to play the game that Palace wanted to play,” he said. after battle, duels, stop starts, wait around.

There are few reasons in the Premier League that match Selhurst for hostility – to the opposition, the officials and anyone not in red and blue – when the Palace fans go. The Holmsdale End has a steady drumbeat and a flow of songs for 90 minutes, but even in the rest of the home areas (you can’t call them ‘post seats’ as Selhurst is still very old school) there are vocal fans about any that is seen. injustice – even throwing away a yard further down the line – and not afraid to let the umpire and his assistants know.

Spurs play Manchester City in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday and Aston Villa in the league next Sunday, and the results will have a big impact on the mood around the club ahead of the next international break. Lose both games and they will be out of one of the most successful cups and effectively out of contention for a top four finish. On the other hand, if they can get back to winning ways, things will look a lot rosier.