Looking to lay down another marker in north London on Boxing Day afternoon, a high-flying Tottenham certainly didn’t disappoint as they landed a 3-0 win against Crystal Palace.
Booking their spot in the semi-finals of this year’s EFL Cup after coming past rivals West Ham earlier in the week, Antonio Conte couldn’t have been more pleased with his side’s display on Sunday.
With Tottenham’s attacking trio running rampant on home soil, the Eagles failed to lay any kind of blow on the Champions League dreamers as they went without manager Patrick Vieira in their dugout.
In a contest that was largely one-way traffic on Boxing Day afternoon, we have taken a look at the main talking points following Sunday’s 3-0 victory.
Conte’s men flying high
While Tottenham might have started Antonio Conte’s tenure with a 0-0 stalemate away at Everton last month, Spurs have really found an immediate boost since bringing in the one-time Chelsea boss.
Although Conte’s side might have seen themselves controversially chucked out of this year’s Europa Conference League last week, Sunday’s hosts are in the midst of a domestic purple patch.
Dominating from the opening whistle here, Spurs rightfully took a quickfire 2-0 lead as Harry Kane and Lucas Moura found the net with just two minutes separating both goals.
Finding a way to build off of their eye-catching display against Liverpool in their 2-2 draw on December 19th, Conte is yet to see his new squad taste a single domestic defeat since he has taken charge.
Quickly gaining a reputation for their energetic approach under Conte, the 52-year-old will also be hugely excited by Harry Kane’s recent return to goalscoring form.
Finding the net in back-to-back Premier League outings after a sluggish start to the 2021/22 campaign, there was time for another of Tottenham’s attacking starts to wrap up all three points.
Watching Son Heung-min snatch his eighth Premier League goal of the season with just under 15 minutes left on the clock, there is no doubt that Tottenham will be desperate to keep up that momentum heading into the New Year.
Palace seeking stability
With so much speculation about whether Sunday’s contest would actually go ahead, Crystal Palace will probably be wishing that they had been able to spend their Boxing Day celebrations at home.
Dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak behind the scenes, the Eagles also had to make the trip to north London without Head Coach Patrick Vieira in their dugout.
Although the one-time Arsenal icon might have received some plaudits since taking over at Selhurst Park over the summer, Sunday’s guests failed to gain any kind of foothold in proceedings here.
Watching Kane and Moura bag a quickfire double in the first-half, things were not made any easier for Palace as they saw their own attacking talisman pick up two costly bookings in the space of just 11 minutes.
Having to play the whole second-half with just 10-men following Wilfried Zaha’s dismissal, Vieira’s side failed to record a single shot on target in what was an afternoon to forget for the Eagles.
Failing to build off of their 3-1 win against Everton earlier in the month, that is in fact the only Premier League win that Palace have picked up from their last six attempts.
Can Tottenham make a top-four charge?
Parting ways with former boss Nuno Espírito Santo after just four months together, few Tottenham fans would have expected what has been a stellar rise under Conte.
Left hugely disappointed to have finished outside of the top-six last season, a high-flying Spurs should have their sights set on making a real charge for a Champions League return this time around.
Still holding three games in hand over north London rivals Arsenal, Conte and Tottenham will be looking to lay down another marker when they travel to Southampton on Tuesday.
Capitalizing on West Ham’s 3-2 defeat against the Saints on Boxing Day afternoon, Spurs have skyrocketed their way back up to fifth and the mood in their camp should be at a red-hot high.
Booking their spot in the semi-final of this year’s EFL Cup earlier in the week, could Tottenham finally end their silverware drought under Conte this season?
Match Report:
Tottenham: Lloris, Sanchez, Dier, Tanganga, Emerson Royal, Hojberg, Skipp, Reguilon, Son, Moura, Kane
Subs: Bergwijn. Gil,. Ndombele
Crystal Palace: Butland, Ward, Tomkins, Andersen, Mitchell, Kouyate, Hughes, Gallagher, Ayew, Edouard, Zaha
Subs: Ferguson, Mateta, Schlupp
Goals: Kane 32′, Moura 34′, Son 74′
Yellow Cards: Tottenham: Sanchez – Crystal Palace: Zaha, Tomkins
Red Cards: Zaha
Referee: Jon Moss
