December 28, (THEWILL) — Crystal Palace suffered their third consecutive English Premier League defeat on Sunday, falling 1-0 to Tottenham in a match they will feel should have yielded a different outcome. The visitors dominated possession for long spells but were undone by poor finishing and defensive lapses at crucial moments.
Tottenham thought they had taken the lead in the 17th minute when Richarlison fired past Dean Henderson, but the goal was disallowed after Lucas Bergvall was judged offside in the build-up. Palace then wasted opportunities through Jean-Philippe Mateta and Will Hughes before the hosts punished their wastefulness three minutes before half-time.
Pedro Porro’s corner was poorly dealt with by the Palace defence, allowing Archie Gray to flick home an unmarked header from close range for his first senior goal. Richarlison provided the assist for the teenager, who capitalised on the visitors’ failure to track runners into the box.
The second half brought more frustration for Palace, with Justin Devenny firing over the crossbar and Maxence Lacroix heading wide when well positioned. Tottenham finished the stronger side, seeing another Richarlison effort ruled out for offside before Wilson Odobert struck the post and Rodrigo Bentancur forced Henderson into a late save.
The defeat leaves Palace still searching for answers to their ongoing struggles in front of goal. Tottenham, meanwhile, claimed all three points despite riding their luck at times against opponents who lacked a clinical edge.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
