Tottenham Hotspur secured their fifth away victory of the Premier League season with a 1-0 win at Crystal Palace on Sunday evening.
The Eagles started the better of the two sides and looked most likely to make something happen, but after Richarlison had a goal ruled out for offside, Spurs eventually took the lead from a corner with Archie Gray getting the decisive touch to score his first professional goal.
The visitors had more control of the game after the restart and struck the post through substitute Wilson Odobert, while Richarlison had his second effort of the day disallowed for another offside.
After scoring the decisive effort – a header his father, Andy Gray, would have been proud of – Archie said: “It’s the best feeling. You work your whole life for that moment, and hopefully I can keep it going. I didn’t expect it to be a header, but I think that one came off my dad’s instincts!”
Crystal Palace are now without a win in five games across competitions after making their best start to a Premier League campaign.
“We had our chances throughout the game but we couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net,” said Will Hughes, one of Palace’s brightest performers.
“It’s nothing to do with energy or fatigue, we’re going through one of those phases now. Results will change. We’ve seen that previously.”
Oliver Glasner’s side will next host Fulham on New Year’s Day.
Crystal Palace player ratings
Dean Henderson - 6/10: Out to meet Richarlison in the 20th minute but couldn’t do much about the goal he conceded from Archie Gray. Saved against Bentancur late on to keep Palace in the game.
Marc Guehi - 6/10: Progressed the ball into midfield and dealt with the moments he was expected to. Gave away possession before Spurs had the ball in the net in the second half but was saved by an offside flag.
Maxence Lacroix - 6/10: After a quiet first half, the Frenchman was booked for a mistimed challenge on Djed Spence. Couldn’t direct his header on target in the 70th minute. Showed his pace late-on to apply pressure to Odobert.
Jefferson Lerma - 6/10: Cut out play and was alert to dangerous situations. Unlucky not to get an assist after finding Lacroix with a header.
Tyrick Mitchell - 5/10: Pushed forward in the second half but could have been better with his final ball. Didn’t do enough to contain Kudus.
Nathaniel Clyne - 5/10: Set up Justin Devenny with a header across goal but he could regret not trying to score himself after connecting with Pino’s cross.
Adam Wharton -7/10: Always looked to play forward, broke up play, and pressed aggressively at the right times to win the ball back.
Will Hughes - 7/10: Booked for stopping a counter-attack, but he was otherwise solid and controlled the tempo as the deepest Crystal Palace midfielder.
Justin Devenny - 6/10: Caused problems early on with direct runs through the middle, but faded out of the game. Couldn’t react quickly enough to the header from Clyne inside the box.
Yeremy Pino -7/10: Linked play quickly with clever first-time passes and movement in advanced areas. Produced an elegant cross with the outside of his boot to create Crystal Palace’s best chance of the second half.
Jean-Philippe Mateta - 5/10: Enjoyed the physical battle with Kevin Danso. Whipped an effort narrowly wide of the far post. Overall, too quiet.
Substitutes
Eddie Nketiah (Clyne, 58’) - 7/10: Bright when introduced. Made direct runs off the ball and was confident in possession, looking to beat his marker and make things happen. Unlucky with a cross that flashed across the face of goal.
Christantus Uche (Pino, 77’) - N/R: On for Pino in the 77th minute, but Crystal Palace were struggling to create anything by this point.
Romain Esse (Devenny, 85’) - N/R: Introduced for Devenny but didn’t have enough time to make an impact.
Tottenham Hotspur player ratings
Guglielmo Vicario - 6/10: Commanded his box well and claimed crosses, but didn’t have a great deal to do.
Djed Spence - 6/10: Tried to make things happen with positive runs down the left and took on players directly, getting Maxence Lacroix booked after skipping past him.
Micky van de Ven - 7/10: Aggressive when challenging to win back possession, tracked runs and got tight to Crystal Palace attackers when required.
Kevin Danso - 7/10: Settled into the game after picking up a yellow card while chasing Justin Devenny. Won the first ball from the corner before Spurs’ opener. Cleared the ball with a no-nonsense approach on several occasions.
Pedro Porro 6/10: Could have been better at times when defendin, but delivered the decisive corner that led to Spurs’ winning goal.
Archie Gray - 7/10: Positioned well to score the opener before half-time. Almost involved in the second goal but Richarlison was offside.
Rodrigo Bentancur - 6/10: Forced a save from Dean Henderson in the 96th minute with an accurate effort that was headed for the far corner. Worked hard to restrict space in central areas.
Randal Kolo Muani - 5/10: Struggled to make an impact while deployed out wide. Loose with passing at times, and gave away cheap fouls when defending. Replaced after the hour mark.
Lucas Bergvall - 6/10: Offside in the build-up to cancel out a Spurs goal. Couldn’t find space between Adam Wharton and Will Hughes, but worked hard during defensive phases of the game.
Mohammed Kudus - 7/10: Bright for Spurs during transition, taking his opportunities to drive at the opposition defence.
Richarlison - 7/10: Caused a threat with direct runs in behind, had the ball in the net twice but saw both chalked off for offside. Got the assist with a clever flick on to Archie Gray just before half-time, and almost assisted Odobert late on.
Substitutes
Wilson Odobert (Kolo Muani, 63’) - 6/10: Tested the goalkeeper from range but directed his effort straight at him. Hit the post in the 88th minute.
Joao Palhinha (Bergvall, 63’) - 6/10: Quickly involved when disrupting a Crystal Palace attack. Made a big challenge in the 73rd minute but won the ball cleanly. Closed down Wharton late on to deny a shooting chance.
Radu Dragusin (Gray, 85’) N/R: On and headed over the bar with his first touch. Stopped a counter-attack with a key tackle on Eddie Nketiah.
Brennan Johnson (Kudus, 85’) N/R: Introduced for Kudus in the final minutes. Should have looked up before cutting the ball across the box.
