Crystal Palace earned a maiden Premier League double over Tottenham Hotspur as Eberechi Eze’s brace sealed a 2-0 win for the Eagles on Sunday to match their best points total in the competition.
Eze scored either side of the interval for Oliver Glasner’s side, netting in three successive league matches for the first time in his career.
Having had two goals ruled out in the first half, it was third time lucky for Palace on the stroke of half-time when Eze tucked home Daniel Munoz’s cross from close range.
The England winger then led a lightning break three minutes after the break and was on hand to sweep Ismaila Sarr’s cutback beyond Antonin Kinsky.
The result moves Palace on to 49 points, equalling their best tally in the Premier League, while Spurs drop to 17th following their 20th league defeat of the season.
How the match unfolded
Palace dominated the opening exchanges and thought they had edged in front when Sarr tucked home from Munoz’s cross, though the goal was overturned following a VAR review, with Jean-Philippe Mateta offside in the build-up.
The visitors created several chances to take the lead, with Kinsky making a vital save to deny Sarr before Munoz crashed an effort against the crossbar.
Glasner’s team had a second goal ruled out when Maxence Lacroix’s header struck the arm of Marc Guehi before going in, but they finally made the breakthrough in the 45th minute when Munoz raced into the area before squaring for Eze to finish.
Palace picked up where they left off in the second half as Eze doubled his side’s advantage with a confident finish after being set up by Sarr in the 48th minute.
They almost added a third, but Kinsky was on hand to thwart Mateta’s effort from inside the box before substitute Eddie Nketiah saw his shot in second-half stoppage time saved by the Spurs 'keeper.
European hangover for Spurs
Domestic struggles for Spurs but were put on hold in midweek as they clinched a spot in the UEFA Europa League final following a semi-final aggregate victory over Bodo/Glimt.
Ange Postecoglou made eight changes and that contributed to a disjointed first-half display which was low on attacking intent and fluency, with Spurs giving the ball away on numerous occasions and very fortunate to go into half-time just 1-0 behind.
They were indebted to Kinsky, in for the rested Guglielmo Vicario, as the Czech signed in January made several important saves to keep the home side in the contest.
Spurs barely improved after the break however, as they continued to be second-best in all departments and barely carried a threat going forward, with the likes of Mathys Tel isolated and the returning Son Heung-min offering no impact off the bench.
Postecoglou may also be concerned about another injury doubt ahead of the final in Bilbao on 21 May as Dejan Kulusevski limped off before 20 minutes were even on the clock.
Spurs travel to Aston Villa next Friday in their final match before their opportunity to end a 17-year trophy drought in the Europa League final against Manchester United.
Perfect preparation for Palace’s FA Cup final
Ahead of kick-off, Glasner believed that continuity within his squad was key for momentum heading into their FA Cup final against Manchester City next Saturday, and that proved to be the case at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.
Despite the enormity of their encounter next week, Palace remained focused on the task at hand and completely dominated the first half on all fronts.
They aggressively pressed from the front, forcing Spurs into mistakes when in possession while they flooded the flanks, with Munoz especially causing damage down the right-hand side.
Sarr was denied on two occasions while Eze’s deflected strike flashed narrowly wide, and Palace were unfortunate not to be further ahead at the break.
But Eze proved to be the difference with his two goals, and the 26-year-old was at the centre of Palace’s flowing moves, taking his second goal with aplomb after being picked out by Sarr.
This was a fine way for Palace to prepare for one of the biggest games in their history, as they compete in their third FA Cup final against Pep Guardiola’s side next Saturday.
Club reports
Spurs report | Palace report
What the managers said
Ange Postecoglou: "It was disappointing. We never really got into the game and we didn't control it at any time. The issue is making multiple changes, we aren't reacting well to that. If you think we wouldn't have 20 league defeats without being in the final, then I don't know how else to describe it. I'm disappointed. It's clear we're not anywhere near the level we need to be."
Oliver Glasner: "We had so many chances in the first half because of the high line, we expected this. We created so many situations and then you need those players in the box to score the goals. I'm really delighted with the performance, it's good preparation for the FA Cup final. I think we will need to be better than today to beat Man City. It's good to have all our players in the best shape at crunch time."
Remaining PL fixtures
Key facts
Today’s defeat was Spurs’ 24th across all competitions, only losing more matches in a single season in their history in 1991/92 (25 defeats).
Eze’s two goals were his 14th and 15th goal involvements of the Premier League season (seven goals, eight assists), making him only the third Palace player to be involved in 15+ goals in multiple seasons (also 15 in 2023/24), along with Wilfried Zaha (three times) and Jean-Philippe Mateta (twice).
Spurs have conceded the first goal in 11 different home matches in the Premier League this season, their joint-most in a single 38-game season, along with 1998/99.
Spurs have conceded 31 goals at home in the Premier League this season, their most since 2007/08 (34 goals), with this season only their third campaign in the Premier League in which they have conceded 30+ home goals.