Match Facts
- Date – 21st February 2016
- Venue – White Hart Lane
- Attendance – 35, 547
- Referee – Craig Pawson
- Bookings – Rose, Cabaye, Bolasie
- Goals – Kelly (45)
- Star Eagle – Kelly (9.0)
Match Review
Martin Kelly’s well taken goal in first half stoppage time ensured Crystal Palace reached the last eight of the FA Cup for the first time since 1995.
The recent Premier League run had not been great for Alan Pardew’s side and the defeat at home to Watford last weekend was a reminder that European aspirations were certainly premature.
There is nothing quite like knocking a flying Tottenham side out of the cup, and the resilience and quality Palace showed at times in the game was much better than recent performances.
With Spurs second in the league and doing well in the Europe, the assumption was that Mauricio Pochettino were going to sweep past Palace, but that was not the case.
Roared on by a wall of noise, Palace dealt well with the Spurs threat, and when they got the chance to test Tottenham, they did to good effect.
However, Palace could have been behind inside three minutes when a Tottenham corner went all the way to the back post, Dele Alli connected with a header but Yohan Cabaye managed to clear off the line.
The young Englishman was was the danger man for Spurs, and he almost opened the scoring after his shot came back off both posts before Joel Ward scrambled it to safety when it looked easier to put the ball into the back of his own net.
Palace grew into the game and with Connor Wickham partnering former Spurs striker Emmanuel Adebayor up top, the Eagles did have a threat. On another day, the visitors could have been awarded two spot kicks. One for a handball in the area by Nabil Bentaleb and another for Michel Vorm bringing down Adebayor.
A real highlight was the sight of Scott Dann, still in a forward position following a set piece, taking the ball down with ease from a Wayne Hennessey kick and very nearly putting Joe Ledley through on goal with almost one flowing movement.
The Eagles nearly went ahead midway through the first half through an unlikely source. A ball from the back was seemingly dealt with as Kyle Walker headed over Michel Vorm, but for a moment it looked like the ball was going to nestle into the net, but Vorm quickly backtracked and tipped the ball away from danger.
Wilfried Zaha was forced to do a lot of defensive work in opening forty-five minutes, but the first time he got to stretch his legs and hurt the opposition he fed a lovely ball to Kelly just before the break. The former Liverpool defender, recalled to the starting line up in place of suspended Pape Souare, fired high and beyond Vorm to give Palace an unlikely but precious advantage at the perfect time.
The second half was a cagey affair with Spurs piling on the pressure, but a resilient Palace stood firm, restricting the hosts to a couple of clear cut chances.
Hennessey made a couple of good saves, but ultimately Tottenham could not find an equaliser. In fact, as the game wore on Palace looked more likely to score a second, with the appearance of fan-favourite Yannick Bolasie who caused Pochettino’s men some real problems although his over-exuberance saw him enter the book for a clumsy challenge.
Wickham nearly capped off a fine performance firing home a cross from Bolasie, but he was offside at the pivotal moment.
It was a superb result for Palace who now face Reading away in the sixth round. The 5,000 strong support was outstanding in the support of their side, it was an atmosphere worthy of a terrific cup tie.
TEB Verdict
One game from Wembley! Palace have certainly saved their best form for the cup as Pardew and his Eagles continue to flirt with the old competition. For once, a favourable draw in the next round but this big result could well be the catalyst for a strong end to the season in the Premier League.
Player Ratings (courtesy of Who Scored)
- Wayne Hennessey (7.6) – The Welshman made a couple of smart saves putting a recent run of poor form behind him.
- Joel Ward (7.4) – Resolute in his defensive work and when the chance arose he was assured going forward in an all round good performance.
- Scott Dann (7.2) – As ever marshalled the defence well and alongside Delaney dealt with the threat of Kane.
- Damien Delaney (7.5) – Won a lot in the air and when needed made vital interceptions and blocks.
- Martin Kelly (9.0) – Match winner even though not featuring much this season. A superb performance, defended well and like Ward supported the attack when able.
- Jordan Mutch (7.3) – Got the nod in midfield for the last couple of games and has improved in each. Needs to be a little more assured on the ball and cannot forget his defensive work but had a decent game.
- Yohan Cabaye (8.2) – The Frenchman rarely has a bad game, he was tasked with keeping Alli quiet, and for the majority the elderstatesman showed the young English midfielder a thing or too. Replaced by Mile Jedinak (6.3) after 81 minutes who came on to add that physical and calming presence.
- Joe Ledley (7.1) – The Welshman returned to the line-up after injury. Great in the holding role, mopping up everything.
- Wilfried Zaha (7.5) – In the first half he had a lot of defensive work to do, but when given the chance his final ball was on point to assist the winning goal.
- Emmanuel Adebayor (6.2) – Returning to his old club, got a rough deal from the Spurs faithful, but he held the ball up well. Did not have the chance to score against his former employers. Replaced by Yannick Bolasie (6.1) after 76 minutes who got a thunderous reception from the Palace fans. Set up Wickham for his offside goal, and generally caused Spurs problems when he came on.
- Connor Wickham (6.9) – The former Sunderland striker had another good game without adding a goal. Held up the ball well, relieving the pressure for his side.
Unused substitutes – Alex McCarthy, Dwight Gayle, Adrian Mariappa, Frazier Campbell, Chung-Yong Lee
Match Statistics
The Who Scored man of the match was goalscorer Martin Kelly (9.0). Most shots in the game was by Harry Kane (7) while Josh Onomah and Yohan Cabaye made the most tackles (6). The trio of Danny Rose, Son Heung-Min and Wilfried Zaha shared the most dribbles (3).
- Team rating: 6.68 – 7.24
- Total shots: 19 – 10
- Shots on target:
- Possession: 63.7% – 36.3%
- Pass success: 86% – 68%
- Dribbles: 8 – 8
- Aerials won: 10 – 14
- Tackles: 29 – 26
- Corners: 13 – 9
- Dispossessed: 15 – 22
