Crystal Palace 2-0 Tottenham: Palace dump Spurs out of FA Cup
Report as Connor Wickham and Andros Townsend send Palace into fifth round
Sunday 27 January 2019 23:09, UK
Crystal Palace compounded a miserable week for Tottenham by knocking them out of the FA Cup with a 2-0 fourth-round victory at Selhurst Park.
Connor Wickham (9) set Palace on their way with his first goal in 799 days, before Andros Townsend (34) haunted his former club by doubling the hosts' lead from the penalty spot after Kyle Walker-Peters' inexcusable handball.
Spurs were architects of their own downfall; Mauricio Pochettino left Christian Eriksen out of the squad and they lacked creativity, while Kieran Trippier's woeful missed penalty (44) left them with a mountain to climb without Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Heung-Min Son.
The victory sees Palace secure their place in Monday's fifth-round draw at the expense of Spurs, whose trophy hopes took another significant dent after Thursday's Carabao Cup exit at Chelsea.
It took just 10 minutes for Spurs' positive start to unravel. Jeff Schlupp drove into the area and drew a save from Paulo Gazzaniga. The Argentine got a hand to the effort but could only tip it into the path of Wickham, who needed no invitation to score from close range on his first start in 792 days.
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Palace were gifted the chance to double their lead as Walker-Peters stuck out an arm to block a diagonal ball before it reached Wickham, and Townsend sent the penalty down the middle after Gazzaniga had committed to his dive.
Gazzaniga prevented Townsend from adding a quickfire second on 36 minutes with an outstanding save as the Palace winger tried to apply the finishing touch to a flowing counter.
Trippier's quick thinking to roll a free-kick to Georges-Kevin Nkoudou presented the Frenchman with a chance to halve Spurs' deficit, but Eagles 'keeper Julian Speroni thwarted two of his attempts on goal.
Patrick van Aanholt was then penalised for a foul on Juan Foyth in the area but, three days on from Eric Dier's miss at Stamford Bridge, the curse of England's penalty takers struck again as Trippier blazed wide from 12 yards.
Pochettino brought Erik Lamela on at the break but Spurs' efforts to get back into the tie failed to materialise, Speroni showing great reflexes to tip a deflected Fernando Llorente shot behind on 52 minutes.
Trippier lashed a volley across the face of goal which narrowly evaded Llorente's outstretched leg on 66 minutes but that was as close as Spurs came as their miserable week took a further turn for the worse.
Opta stats
- Crystal Palace have reached the FA Cup fifth round for the first time since the 2015-16 season, when they went on to reach the final.
- Spurs have lost three of their last four games in all competitions - as many as in their previous 22 games combined.
- Crystal Palace forward Connor Wickham scored his first goal since November 2016, when he netted against Manchester City for the Eagles - 799 days ago.
- Andros Townsend's last two FA Cup goals have been penalties scored in the fourth round - in 2014-15 for Spurs against Leicester and today for Crystal Palace against Spurs.
- Excluding shootouts, Kieran Trippier became the first Spurs player to miss an FA Cup penalty since Tom Huddlestone in February 2010 against Bolton.
- 26 of the last 28 teams to eliminate Spurs from the FA Cup have been in the top-flight (Leicester in 2005-06 and Leeds in 2012-13 the exceptions).
- Spurs have only failed to score in two of their last 21 FA Cup matches - both against Crystal Palace (0-1 in February 2016, 0-2 today).
What's next?
The midweek Premier League schedule sees Palace travel to Southampton (7.45pm) and Spurs host Watford (8pm) on Wednesday.