Richarlison proves worth, but Thomas Frank loses patience with 3/10 – Tottenham player ratings vs Crystal Palace
Tottenham secured a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park to relieve some of the pressure on Thomas Frank.
Frank had been under heavy scrutiny following two straight defeats, but Archie Gray’s first half header ensured that Spurs took all three points back to North London.
Crystal Palace were clearly feeling the effects of a packed December schedule, but Tottenham were far from comfortable in victory.
The Lilywhites did have two goals disallowed, which would’ve put a shine on the scoreline, but Frank clearly still has a lot of work to do on the training ground.
Richarlison continues his good Tottenham form
Richarlison made a massive impact when he came on against Liverpool, and the Brazilian striker was heavily involved in proceedings once again in South London.
The 28-year-old was given a start by Frank following his cameo display last Saturday, and led the line well for Spurs.
Richarlison thought he had given Tottenham the lead after 17 minutes, but VAR ruled out the goal with Lucas Bergvall offside in the build up.
Gray did open the scoring just before the break, and Richarlison was involved once again, flicking the ball into the path of the midfielder who couldn’t miss from three yards out.
The centre-forward then had another goal chalked off in the second half, once again for offside, but his overall performance was still crucial for Frank’s side.
Thomas Frank hooks Randal Kolo Muani against Crystal Palace
After Xavi Simons was sent off against Liverpool, Frank opted to utilise Kolo Muani out on the left wing at Selhurst Park and allow Richarlison to play through the middle.
However, the 27-year-old was underwhelming once again for Tottenham, failing to have a real impact on the game.
Kolo Muani didn’t complete a single one of his four attempted dribbles against Crystal Palace, losing possession 13 times in total, despite only taking 26 touches.
| Stats vs Crystal Palace | Kolo Muani |
| Minutes | 63 |
| Touches | 26 |
| Shots | 0 |
| Successful dribbles | 0/4 |
| Possession lost | 13 |
| Pass accuracy | 64% |
The Paris Saint-Germain loanee could only manage a 64 per cent pass accuracy, and didn’t have a single shot at Selhurst Park
Frank clearly lost patience with Kolo Muani early in the second half, replacing him with Wilson Odobert on the 63rd minute.
Tottenham player ratings vs Crystal Palace
Guglielmo Vicario – 6
Pedro Porro – 6
Kevin Danso – 6
Micky van de Ven – 7
Djed Spence – 5
Rodrigo Bentancur – 5
Archie Gray – 8
Lucas Bergvall – 5
Mohammed Kudus – 6
Randal Kolo Muani – 3
Richarlison – 8 – Man of the Match
Substitutions
Joao Palhinha (on for Bergvall ’63) – 6
Wilson Odobert (on for Kolo Muani ’63) – 7
Brennan Johnson (on for Kudus ’86) – 6
Radu Dragusin (on for Gray ’86) – 6
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