Tottenham had a narrow win against Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon. Richarlison found the back of the net after 15 minutes from Pedro Polo’s low curling ball, but VAR confirmed that Lucas Bergvall was offside during the build-up. Tottenham’s play in the first half was mainly aerial duels, with all the pressure coming from Palace who had eight shots on goal before Archie Gray scored his first senior goal in the flow of the game.
Polo’s deep corner kick was headed back by Randall Kolo Muani, flicked on by Richarlison and the excited teenager headed it into the net just before half-time. With 15 minutes remaining, Richarlison thought he had scored again when he slipped Mohamed Kudus’ low cross into goal, but a VAR check found he was marginally offside. With 10 minutes remaining, substitute Wilson Odbert hit the left post with a shot saved by Rodrigo Bentancur, and Spurs ended 2025 with a hard-earned victory.
I will evaluate Tottenham players based on today’s victory…
Tottenham player rating against Crystal Palace
Guglielmo Vicario – 6
Despite Palace’s pressure, the Italian goalkeeper made no outstanding saves and dealt well with set-pieces when they came.
Pedro Polo – 7
He sent in a nice low curling ball and Richarlison’s early goal was disallowed. He struggled defensively in the first half, but like the rest of the team, he improved significantly as the game progressed.
Kevin Danso – 7
He tripped Devenny early on as the Scot charged towards the Spurs box, earning him a yellow card as Palace called for a red. Although he had some shaky moments in the first half, he handled everything thrown at him in the second half and had fans chanting his name towards the end.
Mickey van de Ven – 8
He was solid throughout, making a number of important touches and interceptions, and was probably Spurs’ best defender on the day.
Jed Spence – 7
He tried to push forward in the first half, but played a loose pass beyond his own box, giving Wharton a chance to shoot. In the second half, he was one of the players who improved a lot.
Rodrigo Bentancur – 7
The same message applies here. The Uruguayan looked defeated at times in the first half, but fought admirably in the second half.
Archie Gray – 8
He received a yellow card for holding back Wharton in the first half. He scored his first goal as a senior with a header from close range just before the end of the first half.
After Bergvall’s sending off, he was given a more attacking role, and his second driving run led to Richarlison’s second canceled goal. When he was substituted with 10 minutes remaining, the fans gave him a huge ovation.
Mohamed Kudus – 6
His performance lacked decisiveness until he allowed Richarlison to score with a low pass, only to be deemed slightly offside. He put Richarlison back on his feet shortly after with a strong play.
Lukas Bergvall – 6
Richarlison’s goal was ruled out early, but it was too easily ruled offside. Despite all the hard work he has put in, some of his decision-making has lacked sharpness.
He collapsed holding his leg after an hour and went down the tunnel shortly after being substituted.
Randall Kolo Muani – 6
Playing on the left flank, he showed great control on his runs and won a corner kick from which Spurs scored. He could not contribute much in the second half and was substituted along with Bergvall.
Richarlison – 8
He thought he had a goal early in the match, but his sliding finish was disallowed due to Bergvall’s offside. He raced forward to Spurs’ long balls and assisted Gray’s goal with a header.
He believed he had scored again when he slipped Kudus’ low cross into goal, but was ruled offside by a kneecap. A few minutes later, he took a shot towards Henderson.
He then flicked the ball to create a chance for Dragusin and Odbert. Although he didn’t score, he caused a number of problems for Palace.
On another day, he could have had two goals and a few assists.
substitute
Joan Parinha – 7
He made some great sliding tackles and played a key role in keeping Spurs in the lead.
Wilson Odbert – 7
The run-on shot hit the base of the left hand post. A very promising final appearance for his tired legs.
Radu Dragushin – Not applicable
His header narrowly missed on his first touch, nearly 11 months after injuring his ACL in January. He made some important contributions in the final moments.
Brennan Johnson – N/A
Immediately after coming on, he sent a few low-threatening crosses right in front of the Palace goal.
