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As it happenedended

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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)

90(+2) MINS

Puncheon charges down the left, before delivering a dangerous ball into the area. However, Benteke is surrounded by a crowd of Tottenham shirts and he fails to meet the cross.

Joe Miles26 April 2017 21:49

90(+4) MINS

Eriksen goes short with the corner to Sissoko, but their efforts can only redeem another set piece as they are quickly boxed in.

Spurs are doing anything they can to waste Palace's precious time as the game draws to a close.

Joe Miles26 April 2017 21:51

90(+5) MINS

Substitution: Alli is replaced by Trippier.

Joe Miles26 April 2017 21:52

90(+7) MINS

Yellow card: Zaha is booked for his late challenge into the back of Sissoko.

Joe Miles26 April 2017 21:54

Spurs just about keep the gap four points as they scrape past Palace

Samuel Lovett26 April 2017 22:06

Arsenal strike late to secure ugly win against Leicester and keep slim hopes of top-four finish alive

Samuel Lovett26 April 2017 22:07

FULL TIME

CRYSTAL PALACE 0 - 1 TOTTENHAM

It is all over at Selhurst Park, with a moment of magic from Eriksen remaining the only difference between the two sides. The 25-year-old picked up the ball and buried the strike effortlessly past Hennessey from around 30 yards.

There was action at both ends, but Palace failed to capitalise on their chances and they appeared to go off the boil as the game progressed.

This is a crucial win for Spurs that keeps them firmly in the title race and keeps them on the tail of Antonio Conte's men with five games left to play.

In the other Premier League fixtures, Arsenal secured a 1-0 victory over Leicester following an own goal from Robert Huth. At the Riverside Stadium, an early goal from Marten de Roon sealed a 1-0 victory over their local rivals for Boro in a bottom of the table clash.

That is all from us tonight here at The Independent, I hope you've enjoyed it. Thanks for tuning in.

Joe Miles26 April 2017 22:10

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