EPL: Mateta stuns Tottenham as Palace claim first win



Jean-Philippe Mateta’s first-half strike clinched Crystal Palace’s first Premier League win of the season as they edged lacklustre Tottenham.

After being reinstated to the starting line-up, the Frenchman broke the deadlock after Spurs defender Micky van de Ven was easily dispossessed deep in his own half and, following a scramble in the box, Mateta powered home his second goal of the season.

Ange Postecoglou’s side responded well after falling behind and Van de Ven’s spinning effort from a corner deflected off the thigh of team-mate Brennan Johnson before bouncing off the post.

In the final stages of the first half, Palace keeper Dean Henderson was finally called into action as he produced a wonderful, fingertip save to deny James Maddison on his 200th top-flight appearance.

After some fine work from Johnson early in the second half, Dejan Kulusevski was unable to level, while Palace’s Eberechi Eze squeezed the ball under Guglielmo Vicario, but the offside flag was rightly raised.

England forward Eze was a constant thorn in Spurs’ side and incensed when a penalty was not awarded after he was pulled down in the area.

Substitute Richarlison could then only smile at the Palace crowd when he poorly failed to make contact on Pedro Porro’s dangerous ball into the six-yard box.

At the other end, Adam Wharton almost scored his first Palace goal with a wonderful right-footed effort from outside of the box, but Vicario was equal to it.

A desperate Spurs continued to push forward in search of an equaliser but the home defence, who have kept one clean sheet this season, stood firm to lift themselves out of the bottom three.

BBC