Jean-Philippe Mateta sinks Tottenham to give Crystal Palace first win

Magic is not something that Oliver Glasner believes in. He is a very sensible individual who believes in his values. When Palace appeared to be world beaters and everything was going well at the end of the previous season, he had faith in them; today, when Palace appears to be relegation candidates and everything is going wrong, he still has faith in them. Give it time, and the principles will take effect and equilibrium will return. Or you could simply wait for Tottenham to arrive.

Spurs will remain Spurs no matter how much you trust the procedures. This paradox implies that there is a deeper process that ultimately matters far more than the visible and observable surface processes. They are a club with a delicate soul that can always come up with a terrible half out of thin air.

Despite making his Premier League debut, Mikey Moore was seldom given a chance to play. Apart from the second half at Brighton, Spurs’ first half was their worst of the season, according to Palace’s press. After the break, if anything, it became worse.

It was a much-needed victory for Palace, their first of the year, and Glasner should feel less pressured. The fact that they’ve reached this level of fear so quickly and that possible replacements are being considered in public still seems a little perplexing. Palace scored 21 goals and earned 19 points in the final seven games of the previous campaign. Glasner had stated, “That was not the truth about Palace.” However, what is the reality?

Have they lost all eight of their games this season and only scored five goals? Undoubtedly not, but is Palace’s poor campaign debut simply a case of reversion to the mean?

However, there are always explanations. Glasner has publicly criticised the club for signing four players on the day of the deadline. Palace, however, had the fourth-lowest net-spend in the division even if their contracts had been finalised in July, enabling their integration prior to the season’s start.

In the summer, Brighton, the team who finished one spot behind them the previous season, spent £160 million more than Palace. Although transfers aren’t everything, Palace is at a disadvantage because of that.

Furthermore, it doesn’t seem like the players that were signed earlier in the window have had a significant influence thus far. The two players that appeared to be able to partially replace Michael Olise’s inventiveness, Daichi Kamada and Ismaïla Sarr, have failed to provide a goal or an assist this season.

The absences are currently much more noticeable than their replacements. Not only has Olise lost his creativity and motivation, but Daniel Muñoz has made far less of an impact without his colleague on the right moving defenders aside and making room, and Eberechi Eze is missing a partner with whom he had such a productive relationship.

In a similar vein, Joachim Anderson’s sweeping diagonal passes and play changes are missed along with his defensive prowess. Following a stellar season finale, Jean-Philippe Mateta had trouble getting going. This could have been caused by his Olympic efforts with France, but it could also have been due to him receiving less service.

The fact that injuries have unsettled Palace’s midfield hasn’t helped either. Adam Wharton, who made a big impression after joining from Blackburn in January, has been dealing with a groin problem, but he was a little more like himself here, making a nice late save with a long-range effort from Guglielmo Vicario. Cheick Doucouré has only managed one start. Even worse, halfway through the first half, Jefferson Lerma, who was doing a great job of containing Dejan Kulsevski, was sent off.

Due in part to Muñoz’s relative inefficiency, Palace had practiced with a back four this week after testing the system in a game played behind closed doors against Ipswich during the previous international break.

However, they began with the well-known Glasner 3-4-2-1, even if, as he would remark, the fundamentals of play are what count. Following such principles, Palace’s press was able to unsettle Spurs, and after 31 minutes, Pedro Porro quickly closed down and delivered a terrible bouncing ball across his own box to Micky van de Ven, who was dispossessed by Muñoz, giving Palace the lead. Mateta scored his third goal of the season after Eze flicked on the Colombian’s cross.

Spurs had opportunities, including a Van de Ven shot that deflected off Brennan Johnson and onto the post and a brilliant low save from Dean Henderson against James Maddison. However, Palace should have been out of sight by the middle of the second half, with both Mateta and Eze grabbing excellent chances.

That may have contributed to a more nerve-wracking conclusion, but Palace’s season is now underway.