Thank you very much for joining me.
Here is Jacob Steinberg’s report from Selhurst Park.
Antonio Conte: “It was a good reaction. It is not easy to win against Palace away. After the first half it was in the balance. In the second half we exploited chances to score.
“The message [at half time] was to continue to play because we started the game very well. In the second half of the first half we struggled because we lost possession.
“I think we played a good game. We tried to press high and recover good ball. Son finally scored, it was really good for him because he needs confidence in himself. We didn’t concede a goal after a long time of not doing that. In this period we are playing with many young players. I had the opportunity during the World Cup to work with these young players to improve them tactically and physically.
“This team always shows a great character. They know very well I hate to lose.”
The lovely Ben Fisher was at Villa Park. Here is his report.
Louise Taylor saw Leeds draw with West Ham.
Harry Kane: “A really important result. It was a tough game away from home, so was nice to put that performance in.
“They had a spell from 35 mins where they played well. It was about moving the ball quickly and waiting for the boys in the final third to do something.
“These are the games that if you go 1-0 behind, you can find it difficult. We scored at a good time. The games are coming thick and fast, so it is a good game to win.
“I am one of those: if you think too much, it can have the opposite effect. It was nice to get a couple today.”
Son: “In the second half we turned things around and scored four goals. We dominated the half. The lads really deserve it.
“I feel sorry for the team because they are expecting me to do more than I have done. I hope it is a turning point.
“The goal is always important to get the confidence back. It was really, really important for me.”
Not bad.
300 – Harry Kane is just the second Premier League player to score on his 100th, 200th and 300th appearance in the competition after Teddy Sheringham. Milestones. pic.twitter.com/5Bj1U5R6Sk
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 4, 2023
The full-time whistle blows at Villa Park where the hosts have drawn with Wolves.
Bryan Gil had a great game for Spurs. It was only his second Premier League start for the club and his first against Aston Villa produced a relatively anonymous display. Son found the net and looked more confident for the rest of the match. Will this be a turning point for Spurs?
Updated
Ed Aarons saw Nottingham Forest defeat Southampton. Here is his report.
Full-time: Crystal Palace 0-4 Tottenham
What a cracking second half from Spurs, after a relatively poor opening 45 minutes. Kane came up with two impressive finishes but was great in his all-round play for Conte’s side. Palace fell off a cliff at half time. They lack consistency and that really needs to be addressed.
90 mins: Three minutes added on.
88 mins: Kane is given man of the match by Alan Smith on Sky and we can all see why.
Elsewhere: FT Leeds 2-2 West Ham
86 mins: Palace whip in another corner but it is easily cleared. Doucoure shoots from 30 yards – it goes nowhere near the net.
White comes on for his Premier League debut. Davies is also on. Perisic and Lenglet off.
84 mins: Kane spins Guehi in the box but Andersen bails out his teammate with a clearance before the striker can shoot. Guehi has been pretty dreadful tonight. Poor chap.
82 mins: Nice work between Zaha and Mateta inside the box concludes with a shot from eight yards out from the winger but it is straight at Lloris.
Elsewhere: Aston Villa 1-1 Wolves (Ings)
Updated
80 mins: The ball reaches Ayew around 20 yards out, he takes a touch to get it out of his feet and thwacks a drive across Lloris who does really well to tip it behind at full stretch.
78 mins: Gil pulls back a Palace player to earn a booking and is immediately subbed off. He gets a big hug from Conte.
Sessegnon and Emerson Royal are on. Doherty the other man to be replaced.
76 mins: I am not sure anyone predicted this at half time. Palace have really rolled over with incredible ineptness.
74 mins: Palace bring on Edouard and Hughes. I am not sure it will help.
72 mins: GOAL! Kane dinks a ball over the top for Son; Guehi completely fails to deal with it and it bounces up for Son to hit. The ball ends up in the bottom corner, via a deflection off Guehi to make this a fine night for Spurs.
Updated
GOAL! Crystal Palace 0-4 Tottenham (Son, 72)
Done and dusted.
72 mins: Zaha takes Lloris by surprise with a early shot from the edge of the box but it drifts wide of the goal.
Kári Tulinius emails: “After tonight’s win, Forest are currently up to 15th, I think. They played well and fully deserved all three points. Considering how incoherent the team was after the trolley dash at the beginning of the season, this has to go down as an incredible feat of management by Steve Cooper.”
70 mins: Kane chips the ball to Doherty in space on the edge of the box, he looks to double his account but his shot is blocked.
Elsewhere, Nottingham Forest beat Southampton, who sounded absolutely dreadful.
68 mins: GOAL! Kane produces some fine work on the left, cuts inside and lays it to Son to shoot, the Korean takes it wide so has to pull it back to Doherty, via a deflection, to sweep home.
Updated
GOAL! Crystal Palace 0-3 Tottenham (Doherty, 68)
Game over.
67 mins: The corner is cleared to the edge of the box, where Eze is waiting to head it back into the danger area but Mateta gets underneath it and heads over.
Down the other end, Kane takes a great touch and turns to play in Son; he gets through one-on-one but hits it straight at Guaita. The flag goes up regardless.
65 mins: Zaha is tackled by Doherty. The winger wants a free-kick but Oliver rightly awards a corner.
Sarr is set to come on for only his second Premier League appearance for Spurs.
63 mins: Doucoure jabs a pass to Olise 20 yards from goal; the winger lines up a first-time shot but it curls just wide.
Mateta has gone up top alongside Ayew and Eze has dropped deeper into central midfield.
Elsewhere: Leeds 2-2 West Ham (Rodrigo)
Updated
61 mins: Schlupp goes in the book for whacking Gil over. Very much a '“robust challenge”. The midfielder is immediately replaced by Mateta.
Spurs fans have a chant for Bryan Gil. That’s nice.
59 mins: The two goals have, understandably, quietened Selhurst Park. All seems a bit flat. I think the fans need to see some spark on the pitch to get them going again.
57 mins: Vieira’s calls for consistency are not being heeded, which is a shame. There is plenty of talent in this Palace side but they can barely put two decent halves together, let alone two matches.
55 mins: Spurs came out very early for the second half, I assume after a Conte rocket up the proverbial. It seems to have done the trick. That and having a world class striker available.
53 mins: GOAL! Gil sends the ball through the eye of the needle to Kane in the box, he takes a touch to set himself and fires the ball into the corner across Guaita. He is only a couple away from Jimmy Greaves’ goalscoring record.
Updated
GOAL! Crystal Palace 0-2 Tottenham (Kane, 53)
A wonderful finish across the goalkeeper.
52 mins: Perisic launches a long throw into the box but it is easily headed clear.
Olise clips Lenglet’s heels and before the referee can blow, the defender grabs the ball, forcing Michael Oliver to give Spurs a free-kick.
Ayew bundles his way through three or four defenders and lays the ball off to Doucoure on the edge of the box but his shot is dreadful and heads up in the stand.
50 mins: Doucoure is late on Hojbjerg, leaving the Dane on the deck. He soon gets up to hobble away.
48 mins: GOAL! Gil does well to take the ball across the box before laying it to Perisic on the left from where he dinks a cross to the back post for Kane to head home on his 300 the Premier League appearance.
Updated
GOAL! Crystal Palace 0-1 Tottenham (Kane, 48)
Kane heads Spurs into the lead.
47 mins: A positive start from Palace as they launch a ball upfield which Romero fails to control, allowing Ayew to nip in but Dier gets back in time to block his shot.
The resulting corner goes out to Doucoure on the edge of the box, he slides the ball to Ward to whack at goal. His shot bounces off an arm but is is not a penalty.
Second half
Here we go again!
Rob Hine is not a fan: “This is a bit like watching Yeovil vs AFC Fylde back in the day.
“You don’t expect a lot and you’re not disappointed when nothing happens.
“But that was the National League, this is supposed to be the Premier League.”
West Ham are 2-1 up thanks to Scamacca.
Updated
Peter Oh emails: “It looks like Crystal Palace’s French-English midfielder has been lively. Beethoven fans among the home support might want to work on a chant called Für Olise.”
“What does Mary Waltz think about the floated Moyes return to Everton?” asks Joe Pearson. “I think most Evertonians would welcome him back as a hero. But what do I know? I support the team on the other side of Stanley Park.”
Half-time: Crystal Palace 0-0 Tottenham
Tottenham started quite brightly but have been very ordinary in the final third. They look like a team short of confidence and ideas. Palace really picked things up from the half-hour make onwards and had the best chance of the half. Overall: not a classic.
45 mins: One minute added on.
Romero currently on the deck holding his face to give the impression he’s been punched in the face by Ayew. He was not.
44 mins: Romero decides he needs to show why he is a World Cup winner by playing a quarterback-esque pass over the top. Sadly, it goes nowhere near a teammate and Guaita calmly collects.
42 mins: Ayew is rolling around in his own half after a late tackle from behind, which Skipp is booked for. Skipp is not having his best game currently, I think it is fair to say.
Updated
40 mins: Eze latches onto a bouncing ball inside the box but goes down with Skipp in the vicinity. There is a brief claim for a penalty but VAR shakes its big electronic head almost immediately. I think he slipped.
38 mins: Olise’s latest corner comes off Andersen’s back/shoulder and is easily claimed by Lloris.
Down the other end, Son looks to curl a cross into the box from the left but instead he lifts is straight into the stand behind the goal.
36 mins: Eze is pulled back by Skipp but play is waved on and Palace win a corner. Skipp somehow avoids a booking.
Leeds 1-1 West Ham
Updated
34 mins: Palace are now on top. Spurs are struggling to get the ball out of their half and the Palace forward four are looking more confident. Olise drives into the box and takes aim for the bottom corner but a Spurs boot deflects the ball wide.
32 mins: Centre-back Andersen is waiting 35 yards out when the ball lands at his feet, he takes a few touches and lets fly, only to see it drift a millimetre or two wide with Lloris diving despairingly.
Updated
30 mins: Doherty feels the need to turn a cross behind for a corner. Olise goes over to take it on the right. It gets half cleared three or four times but comes back through a Schlupp cross which Lenglet is there flicks away for another corner.
Our man at Southampton.
Southampton booed off at half-time after a dismal display. Forest deservedly ahead
— Ed Aarons (@ed_aarons) January 4, 2023
28 mins: Good work from Zaha sees him dribble through a couple of Spurs defender before laying the ball into the path of Ayew, who spins and shoots from 18 yards but Lloris gets down well to stop. That is the best chance of the match so far.
Elsewhere Villa 0-1 Wolves
Updated
26 mins: Andersen threads the ball through to Eze in space between midfield and defence, he takes a touch or two before looking to feed Ayew but his through ball is over hit.
“Spurs don’t have intensity that Newcastle and Arsenal had yesterday,” suggests Jeff Sachs.
They are doing better than against Villa, I would argue.
24 mins: It is Olise’s left foot providing the only threat for Palace but his shot from 30 yards flies well over the bar.
Doherty sends a dinked cross into the box but Kane cannot put any power or direction on it and the ball bounces well wide.
22 mins: Olise sends in a wonderful cross with his left foot from the right but it goes just over Zaha’s head and out for a goal kick.
20 mins: Palace are defending well inside their own box. The ball is pinged into Kane’s feet but Guehi retrieves it before the striker knows it has gone.
Andy ‘not that one’ Flintoff says: “I’ve thought of a solution that pleases everybody - Lampard to West Ham and Moyes to Everton in a straight job swap.”
Ps Leeds 1-0 West Ham L
18 mins: Kane is trying to drop deep to collect the ball but Guehi is following him everywhere he goes to try and negate his influence.
Updated
16 mins: Kane looks to send the ball over the top for Perisic to latch onto but Andersen reads the danger and clears.
Spurs are moving the ball around quite nicely, which is a good sign. They just need to make the most of their early dominance.
14 mins: Doherty dinks a cross into the six-yard box but only the diminutive Gil is waiting and the ball goes over his head. The ball goes back into the box and Spurs do win a corner but it comes to nothing when Son dribbles out of play.
12 mins: Romero beats Zaha to a pass in the corner but makes a complete hash of it and puts it behind for a corner. Olise sends it towards the penalty spot where Dier is waiting to head clear.
10 mins: Perisic cuts in from the left and looks for Doherty on the opposite flank but his pass is cut out at the last second to stop the danger. Spurs have started the better side but they did that against Villa, too, and we all know how that worked out.
8 mins: Doherty sends a looping ball across the box but no one in white gets near it. The ball is cleared out to Skipp but he pings a pass straight to the goalkeeper.
Gil produces a couple of nice touches before taking aim but it is catching practice for Guaita.
6 mins: Olise cuts in from the right; he sends it into Ayew but the striker cannot control the ball inside the box and it goes out for a goal kick.
4 mins: Skipp drags Spurs up the pitch, he passes the ball to Son on the edge of the box, he knocks it to Gil whose shot lacks any power and is turned behind.
2 mins: Zaha takes a touch and then Doherty goes through him for no reason whatsoever. Otherwise quiet.
Joe Pearson points out Forest are winning at Southampton: “Johnson intercepted a pass and ran straight at goal. Squared the ball for Awoniyi for the simple tap in. Gorgeous!”
Updated
Kick-off
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
Jeff Sachs suggest a busy week of sackings: “Lampard, Moyes, Conte”
Patrick Vieira: “Hopefully we learn a lot from last year. We are always looking for the consistency in our performance. We are always aiming to move higher in the league.
“We come off a really performance away from home and it is important to carry it on tonight.
“The last couple of games Spurs have played they have conceded the first goal but in some they have won the game. They have the quality to do this.”
“Certain Spurs fans might want Conte gone, but you have to ask what more he could be doing with the team and squad at his disposal?” ponders Julian Menz.
“They had a great start to the season, but gravity has caught up with them, and they are 5th, which is probably par for Spurs.
“There is a myth about Conte that he demands ”galactico” signings, but that certainly wasn’t the case when he led Chelsea to the PL Title (Victor Moses was RWB for the love of….). And just for the record, Conte’s Chelsea were hardly dour. The team was scoring goals.
“Conte and Levy were never going to be a match made in heaven, but Conte did get Levy to splash a bit of cash.
“It was never going to be enough though, given the hyper-inflated transfer market.
“Spurs are more-or-less where you’d have expected them to be at this stage of the season.”
The football lacks entertainment. I think that is the fans’ issue.
“Are you actually darn sarf this evening, or checking this on your telly somewhere safely north of the river?” asks Jeremy Boyce. I cannot answer that for legal reasons.
“I managed to find my way to Selhurst Park many years ago, to watch Allan Durban period Shrewsbury Town scratch a 1 - 1 draw when we were up in the 2nd Division/Championship for a few seasons. We went up when Thatcher was elected, we went down when she resigned. Make of that what you will.
“I am more wondering about the relegation 6-pointer oop at t’Elland Road tonight, and the fates of the respective managers. Depending on the W/D/L possibilities of the +7 minutes additional time result tonight, if it’s an L for either of them, which is Moyest likely to get their Marsching orders ? They could probably both do with lots of W D and 40 points. I’ll get my coat...”
You and Moyes to get coats.
“Will, I agree, the soup discussions went out of control,” says Mary Waltz. “I have steeled my self for the possibility that Everton could drop into the relegation zone. It could be worse, I could be Kevin McCarthy’s mom. PS, is traditional beef stew it’s own category or is it too close to soup.”
Stew is not a soup, surely.
“I turned on Southampton-Forest only to see a marching band play what sounded like a funeral dirge version of ‘When the Saints Come Marching In’,” says Kári Tulinius. “I realize that Southampton are having a tough time of it lately, but that was a bit much. Mind you, the home crowd are in good voice now the match has started.”
That sounds like real entertainment.
Updated
Antonio Conte: “Our expectation is to do a good reaction after the result against Villa. When you lose a game, everything positive in the situation becomes negative.
“Our target is to start well, to go into the game and play football, to create chances and not concede a goal.
“Last game we didn’t have a slow start, we started very well. We have to play the whole game and stay in the game for 90 minutes. There are many games in one game. We have to be better than the last game.”
“No soup content today! Palace v Spurs is on the TV, but I’ve got Southampton v Forest going on the computer,” emails Joe Pearson. “Never too early for a relegation six-pointer!”
My in-laws have departed so Romanian food is off the menu. Chicken salad with French dressing roday.
“A clear dearth of attacking options on the Spurs bench,” emails Mike Nagle. “What about Troy Parrott or Dane Scarlett? How about Conte giving them a chance and some encouragement or doesn’t he trust youngsters?”
They are both out on loan. Conte, however, rarely bloods youngsters.
Some pre-match Conte …
Palace are unchanged, meaning Tomkins is on the bench after returning from suspension. There is no Jack Butland in the squad either because he is, supposedly, on his way to Manchester United.
Updated
Oh Spurs.
Dier and Skipp come into the team for Spurs. Gil keeps his place following his first-ever Premier League start for the club against Villa.
Starting lineups
Crystal Palace (4-2-3-1): Guaita; Ward, Guehi, Andersen, Clyne; Schlupp, Doucoure; Olise, Eze, Zaha; Ayew.
Subs: Johnstone, Milivojevic, Tomkins, Mateta, Hughes, Edouard, Ebiowei, Richards, Riedewald.
Tottenham (3-4-3): Lloris; Dier, Romero, Lenglet; Doherty, Skipp, Hojbjerg, Perisic; Son, Kane, Gil
Subs: Forster, Sanchez, Royal, Sessegnon, Spence, Tanganga, Sarr, Davies, White.
Preamble
It is fair to say that Tottenham were ruddy awful in their defeat to Aston Villa at the weekend. They lacked any form of creativity and were easily broken down by Unai Emery’s men. Since then Antonio Conte has hinted he might leave the club, not for the first time, and bemoaned most things about the team.
Crystal Palace bounced back from their Boxing Day defeat at home to Fulham, which saw them finish with nine players, by downing Bournemouth on New Year’s Eve. Patrick Vieira’s side sit 11th in the table but the manager wants more and the way of getting that is by making some January signings. They could make themselves a more attractive prospect to potential signings by down Spurs tonight.
If Palace do win, who knows what will happen to Conte? The fans generally agree that the football is pretty awful, lacking anything in the way of threat. They have suffered injury problems in recent times but they should be really better than a side that has conceded the first goal in their past six matches.
It should be fun.
Kick-off: 8pm GMT
