Relief for Glasner as Palace succeed at last at Tottenham’s expense
LONDON: At last Oliver Glasner can smile again. A first-half goal from Jean-Philippe Mateta brought Crystal Palace a 1-0 win over Tottenham, their first victory in nine matches this season to lift them out of the relegation zone.
Palace chairman Simon Jordan is not a man to show unnecessary patience with failing managers. Jordan sacked Frank de Boer after 77 days in 2017 and danger signs had been flashing for Glasner after Palace’s poor start to the campaign. Even now they have the joint worst attack in the league with six goals, the same as bottom club Southampton.
Glasner, safe at least now until next month’s international break, said: “Congratulations to the team for how they played with so much passion. We did it from the first seconds, got the reward with the first goal and at the end we were still creating chances. It helps us especially in getting confidence back. When we play with this intensity we are a good team and it’s difficult to beat us. The mindset we showed today must be the benchmark for the next games.”
Glasner had insisted before the game that his team were short of confidence though he was partly a victim of his club’s confused summer transfer business. He had arrived in February knowing that star forward Michael Olise would be leaving but could not have forecast the summer departures of important central defender Joachim Andersen and midfielder Jordan Ayew to Fulham and Leicester respectively.
Palace did not bring in defender Maxence Lacroix, versatile Trevoh Chalobah and ex-Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah until the final 24 hours of the window and adaptation has taken time. Fortunately Jordan had rejected offers for England defender Marc Guehi and forward Eberhard Eze and they are the foundations on which Glasner has been able to rely. Eze, promising for England in the Euro finals, provided the assist for Mateta’s winning goal, had a penalty claim denied and another ‘goal’ ruled out by VAR.
Tottenham appeared to be suffering a hangover after the effort of Thursday’s Europa League victory over AZ Alkmaar. Micky van de Ven was to blame for the mistake which led to Mateta’s second goal of the season before seeing an effort of his own at the other end deflect off team-mate Brennan Johnson and against a post.
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