Eberechi Eze scored on either side of halftime to give Crystal Palace a 2-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday and condemn the host to its 20th Premier League defeat of the season.
Palace remained in 12th place with 49 points from 36 games after its first league win since April.
Both teams had little to play for, but the clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium still had an air of optimism about it, with Palace having reached the FA Cup final and Spurs within touching distance of Europa League glory.
The home fans’ cheer quickly evaporated, however, and they were subjected to a frustrating afternoon in which Palace had the host on the ropes from the get-go.
Palace repeatedly tore through Tottenham’s defence with ease and put the ball in the net in the eighth minute, but Ismaila Sarr’s goal was ruled out to due to an offside in the build-up.
Oliver Glasner’s side created a string of chances and had another goal disallowed in the 43rd minute after Maxence Lacroix’s header glanced off teammate Marc Guehi’s arm before crossing the line.
READ: Man United’s torrid Premier League season continues after 0-2 loss against West Ham
Palace finally broke the deadlock just before halftime when winger Daniel Munoz bombed down the right flank and squared the ball to Eze for a tap in.
Three minutes after the interval, Tottenham was rocked by another sweeping attack as Eze ghosted into the box and calmly slotted home Ismaila Sarr’s pass to net his seventh league goal of the season.
The goal drew a reaction from a listless Tottenham, but despite its efforts, it could not piece together any truly threatening attacks, while Palace almost added a third when Eddie Nketiah drew a sharp save from Antonin Kinsky in the 92nd minute.
For Tottenham, which has only one win in 10 league games, the defeat extended an abysmal run and dropped the side into 17th place in the standings after West Ham United beat Manchester United.
The north-London club, which has only the already-relegated trio of Ipswich Town, Leicester City and Southampton below itself, are on course for its lowest finish since the 1976–77 season, when it finished 22nd and was relegated from the top-flight.
The side was also dealt an injury blow when attacker Dejan Kulusevski went off injured after only 19 minutes – a significant concern for manager Ange Postecoglou with just 10 days until its Europa League final against United.
Forest’s Champions League hopes hit by draw with Leicester
Nottingham Forest’s hopes of securing a Champions League spot took a huge hit when it was held to a 2-2 draw by relegated Leicester City on Sunday as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side fell to seventh in the Premier League standings.
The result leaves Forest a point behind fifth-placed Chelsea with two games left, and although it secured European football for the first time in 30 years, the draw felt like a defeat with its Champions League ambitions no longer in its own hands.
