Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

As it happenedended

1493240494

Crystal Palace vs Tottenham - as it happened: Christian Eriksen goal keeps Spurs' title hopes alive

Re-live all the action from Selhurst Park

In association with

Joe Miles,Tim Williams

Wednesday 26 April 2017 15:46 BST

Zaha vies for possession — Zaha vies for possession (Getty)

Tottenham run into in-form Crystal Palace tonight, 24 hours after Chelsea beat Southampton. Spurs will be desperately trying to close the gap back to four points again, but will have to dispatch a rejuvenated Crystal Palace if they want to extend their winning run in the league to eight games and heap more pressure on Chelsea.

Mauricio Pochettino will be desperate to bounce back after losing to title rivals Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday, but Palace, recent victors over Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool, will provide stern opposition.

With survival all but guaranteed for 12^th-placed Palace, Sam Allardyce has hinted at wholesale changes ahead of the London derby to guard against burnout after a testing run of fixtures. However, the attacking triumvirate of Andros Townsend, Christian Benteke and Wilfried Zaha have proved too much to handle for even the strongest defences at this late stage of the season, and a victory for the Eagles could lift them as high as ninth if results go their way.

Follow the live action below...

Please allow a moment for the blog to load.

What time does it start?

Crystal Palace vs Tottenham kicks off at 20:00.

Where can I watch it?

The match will be shown live on Sky Sports 1 from 19:30. Highlights will be shown at 01:30 on Sky Sports 1.

Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings

Show all 22

1/22Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings

Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings

Thibaut Courtois – 6 out of 10

Aside from the two Tottenham goals, the Belgian keeper made a handful of vital saves to keep his side in it.

Getty Images,

Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings

Cesar Azpilicueta – 6 out of 10

Was getting dragged out of position at times, but overall it was a satisfying display. He tackled well and supported the midfielders in possession.

Getty Images

Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings

David Luiz – 9 out of 10

His defensive display today was faultless. He tackled hard, led the line at the back and was creating moves from the back.

Getty Images,

Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings

Nathan Ake – 7 out of 10

Today was a huge chance for Ake and he certainly performed under pressure. The only issue was that he was diving into challenges – resulting in a number of needless Tottenham free kicks.

AFP/Getty Images

Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings

Victor Moses – 8 out of 10

Was certainly one of Chelsea’s top players today. He was energetic, oozing with confidence and he won the penalty for Willian’s second goal.

Getty Images

Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings

N’Golo Kante – 8 out of 10

A textbook Kante display. Energetic, powerful, clever and quite simply ran the midfield. He is the engine within the Chelsea side.

Getty Images

Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings

Nemanja Matic – 7 out of 10

His somewhat mediocre display was redeemed his sublime strike from distance in the late stages of the game.

Getty

Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings

Marcos Alonso – 6 out of 10

He looked dangerous pressing forward, but defensively he was clumsy and gave away a handful of unnecessary fouls.

Getty Images

Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings

Willian – 9 out of 10

He appeared to thrive on the pressure of his late introduction to the starting 11, with two goals. His free kick was an example of his endless talent.

AFP/Getty Images

Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings

Pedro – 6 out of 10

His pace proved problematic for Spurs, but he did not see enough of the ball in my opinion.

AFP/Getty Images

Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings

Michy Batshuayi – 6 out of 10

Hunted possession relentlessly and when he tracked back to defend a corner, he always the one to clear the danger.

Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I

Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings

Hugo Lloris – 4 out of 10

Should have arguably saved Willian’s free kick. Aside from that, it was hard for him to look impressive against such a clinical Chelsea side.

Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I

Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings

Kieran Trippier – 7 out of 10

He was particularly impressive today when he was pumping long balls over the top to Kane and Son from a defensive position.

Getty Images

Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings

Eric Dier – 6 out of 10

His work rate was faultless, he created moves going forward and he continued to pump balls into the danger zone.

AFP/Getty Images

Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings

Toby Alderweireld – 6 out of 10

Aside from giving away the free kick for Willian’s first goal, he performed well and tackled courageously for the full 90 minutes today.

Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I

Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings

Jan Vertonghen – 6 out of 10

He stood up well when Chelsea were attacking and he made a countless amount of blocks and interceptions.

Getty Images

Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings

Victor Wanyama – 6 out o f10

He passed the ball well and was using the width of the pitch well. Defensively there is certainly room for improvement.

Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I

Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings

Mousa Dembele – 7 out of 10

He patrolled the game from the middle of the pitch, used possession well and won a number of the aerial challenges.

AFP/Getty Images

Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings

Son Heung-min – 4 out of 10

His decision to slide tackle Moses inside of the area was simply imprudent. Was also very wasteful in possession.

Getty Images

Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings

Christian Eriksen – 8 out of 10

He created Kane’s opener and his assist for Alli’s goal will be one of the best that we can expect to see all season. Incredible.

Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I

Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings

Dele Alli – 8 out of 10

His equaliser for Spurs was an impressive strike, which he thoroughly deserved following a top display.

Getty Images,

Chelsea 4 Tottenham 2 player ratings

Harry Kane – 8 out of 10

His headed goal to level the scoring showed top technique from a tricky angle. Today he was energetic, alert and caused the Chelsea defence problems throughout.

Getty Images,

It’s a big game for…

Wilfried Zaha: The tricky winger has proved he is one of the most naturally gifted players in the Premier League this season, and with Wednesday’s opposition Spurs rumoured to be an admirer, he will be keen to prove to Pochettino that he can perform on the big stage.

Best stat…

Harry Kane has scored 18 goals in 24 London derbies in the Premier League (0.75 goals per game). However, he has only scored once in his last four appearances against Palace.

Remember when…

The 2015/16 season was a breakout one for Dele Alli, and he produced a moment of inspiration during Tottenham’s visit to Selhurst Park in January 2016. The England prospect controlled the ball before flicking it over the onrushing Mile Jedinak and expertly volleying past Wayne Hennessey.

Player to watch…

Christian Benteke: Perennial end-of-season performer Christian Benteke has scored five goals in his last five games, including goals against Chelsea, Leicester and Liverpool. The talismanic striker scored a brace to sink former club Liverpool on Sunday and will be looking to add to his impressive tally against high-ranked opposition.

Past three-meetings…

Tottenham 1 Crystal Palace 0, Premier League August 2016

Tottenham 0 Crystal Palace 1, FA Cup, February 2016

Crystal Palace 1 Tottenham 3, Premier League January 2016

Form guide…

Crystal Palace: WWLWDW

Tottenham: WWWWWL

Odds…

Crystal Palace to win: 9/2

Tottenham to win: 3/5

Draw: 16/5

(Odds provided by 888 Sport)

71 MINS

Son cuts in from the left, but he overcooks his touch and Ward manages to shield the ball out of play. Top defending.

Joe Miles26 April 2017 21:27

GOAL

ARSENAL 1 - 0 LEICESTER

Huth puts the ball into his own net, following a rebounded strike from Monreal. The Gunners have the advantage at the Emirates.

Joe Miles26 April 2017 21:28

74 MINS

Sissoko chops down Puncheon in the middle. Hennessey to take the free kick for Palace.

Joe Miles26 April 2017 21:31

77 MINS

Walker sends a powerful delivery across the face of goal, it drops out to Eriksen who delivers it back in towards Kane. He is marked well and fails to connect with the headed attempt, that makes a routine save for Hennessey.

Joe Miles26 April 2017 21:34

78 MINS

GOAL

CRYSTAL PALACE 0 - 1 TOTTENHAM

Eriksen strikes gold with a magical strike from distance, leaving Hennessey helpless. The 25-year-old picks up the ball in the middle, looks up and makes the right-footed strike look simple. Unbelievable.

Joe Miles26 April 2017 21:35

81 MINS

Substitution: Benteke is replaced by Campbell.

Joe Miles26 April 2017 21:37

82 MINS

Kane picks up possession from a throw in and weaves between a sea of Palace shirts, before he is finally stopped in his tracks by Milivojevic. Corner kick to Spurs.

Joe Miles26 April 2017 21:39

85 MINS

The ball flies back into the area, but Alderweireld fails to connect with his swivelled strike. Goal kick.

Joe Miles26 April 2017 21:43

88 MINS

Spurs are pinging the ball around majestically, as Palace relentlessly chase possession, for no real reward. Pochettino's half time words certainly proved pivotal to the success of this Spurs side in the latter stages of this fixture.

Joe Miles26 April 2017 21:47

90 MINS

There will be a minimum of seven additional minutes.

Joe Miles26 April 2017 21:47

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies