Mueez Ajao
– Tottenham Hotspur took the Boxing Day spoils with ease, beating 10-man Crystal Palace 3-0.
– Spurs scored twice in the first half, while Palace, without manager Patrick Vieira after he tested positive for COVID-19, were reduced to 10 men when Wilfried Zaha was sent off for two bookable offences.
– Tottenham started the game the better, and it was Son Heung-Min who tested Jack Butland in the opening moments. Son’s effort from distance forced Butland to get down low to his right to scoop the ball behind.
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– Spurs had to wait until the 32nd minute to find the breakthrough. It came out of nothing, Lucas Moura breaking from midfield to square a pass to the unmarked Harry Kane, who swept his shot past Butland.
– Two minutes later, Spurs had a second goal. This time it was Moura who got on the scoresheet, rising to head home from Emerson Royal’s perfect cross.
– If Palace’s task was already hard, it became even more difficult in the 37th minute when Zaha was shown a second yellow card after he shoved Davinson Sanchez to the ground.
– The second half was largely a non-event, with Spurs in control against 10-man Palace. But the home side did find a third goal in the 73rd minute when Son guided home Moura’s cross from close range.
