Continuing our Scout Notes from Sunday’s Gameweek 36 matches, it’s time to switch our attention to Tottenham Hotspur 0-2 Crystal Palace.
- READ MORE: FPL Gameweek 36 round-up: Sunday’s goals, assists, bonus points + stats
- READ MORE: FPL notes: Murphy wing-back, Trippier injury, Chelsea + Forest falter
IN-FORM EZE
Palace warmed up for next weekend’s FA Cup final in style, as they ran out 2-0 winners over Tottenham on Sunday.
In a dominant display, Oliver Glasner’s side racked up 23 shots, eight big chances and 3.29 expected goals (xG), their second-highest total in a Premier League match this season.
Eberechi Eze (£6.9m) netted both goals in north London and has now scored in three straight league games for the first time.
Having seen a deflected effort flash narrowly wide of the post earlier, Eze broke the deadlock when he turned in Daniel Munoz’s (£5.2m) cutback just before half-time.
He later rifled home his second after being set up by Ismaila Sarr (£5.6m).
“It’s been a weird season, but [I] gradually got there. [I’m] gradually getting some rhythm and playing how I want to be playing, helping the team as much as I can. It’s a good time right now.” – Eberechi Eze
Saying Tottenham rode their luck in the first half would be an understatement.
Sarr and Maxence Lacroix (£4.5m) both had goals disallowed, while Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.6m), who was hooked just before the hour mark with next week’s FA Cup final in mind, had a close-range effort saved.
“We had so many chances in the first half because of their high line, we expected this. We created so many situations and then you need those players in the box to score the goals. I’m really delighted with the performance, it’s good preparation for the FA Cup final.
“It was 1-0 and we could have decided the game already. We had two disallowed goals and hit the post. It’s to be efficient. I think the last 20 minutes we lost a bit of intensity. Tottenham had a big win three days ago and they couldn’t compete with the energy. It was a really good day for us.” – Oliver Glasner
MUNOZ THREAT
There was so much space for Palace to exploit down the right flank on Sunday, with Munoz’s adventurous runs a constant threat.
He smashed an effort off the woodwork, should have done better when played through moments later, and claimed the assist for Eze’s opener, as Spurs failed to get a handle on him.
Munoz finished the match with three shots, six penalty box touches and three chances created.
It’s also worth noting he is now top among defenders for double-digit hauls this season, with four:
Above: Defenders sorted by double-digit hauls in 2024/25
KULUSEVSKI INJURY UPDATE
Ange Postecoglou made eight changes from Thursday’s win over Bodo/Glimt, with only Pedro Porro (£5.3m), Rodrigo Bentancur (£4.9m) and Dejan Kulusevski (£6.2m) retaining their places in the starting XI.
Kulusevski, who started as a striker, picked up an unfortunate injury, however, and was forced off inside 20 minutes.
“He should be okay, just talking to him after. The medical team are not too concerned with him, more of a knock than anything else, so we’re hoping he should be okay.” – Ange Postecoglou on Dejan Kulusevski
Son Heung-min (£9.7m), meanwhile, made his eagerly anticipated return from a foot injury, as he came off the bench for Porro on 58 minutes.
“It was good to get him some match minutes and hopefully we can get him some more match minutes against Villa on Friday. It would be good to get him back, involved and available.” – Ange Postecoglou on Son Heung-min
You’d expect Tottenham to field a stronger side against Aston Villa on Friday, something Postecoglou hinted at in his Gameweek 36 presser.
Still, Spurs have now lost 20 Premier League games this season and have won just one of their last 10, with that victory coming at home to relegated Southampton, offering further encouragement to owners of Villa’s attacking assets.
“We weren’t good enough today. We didn’t reach the level we needed in the Premier League and fell short. We were disjointed because of the number of changes to the team which obviously affects what we’re trying to do. I still think we could have performed better. We haven’t been able to navigate that process as much as we would have liked, we wouldn’t have made as many changes in an ideal world but that’s the situation we’re in. It’s quite clear why we’ve lost so many games. If we weren’t in Europe or had a Carabao Cup run and only had the league to think about since Christmas then we’d be higher in the league.” – Ange Postecoglou
