With Tottenham dominating 2-0, Crystal Palace entered Saturday's FA Cup final with confidence and confidence.
Eberechi Eze made a tidy touch on both sides of the half-time game, but for the side of Oliver Glasner it was easy to keep a bigger shape for the Wembley show with Manchester City, skating the foot in the wide space in the Spurs’ defense.
Ismaila Sarr and Maxence Lacroix saw the goal, while flying Daniel Munoz slammed the car, then teeing Eze made a breakthrough and Jean-Philippe Mateta was able to shoot hard after England International came in from the break.
Visitors who have now matched the record Premier League points, have far more visitors for a very different Tottenham Hotspur team recovering from their Europa League achievements on Thursday. This is Palace's first ever league to surpass the Spurs, with their travel support participating in the Sunshine.
The Spurs' eyes are of course in the Europa League final against Manchester United on May 21 and live Spain Before the kickoff, this is the lyrics of “I’m going to sunny Spain” and the owner’s priorities are low after the success of the Bodo/Glimt semi-finals. Their lineup and performance seem to show a lot, too. That's some people.
Regardless of the injury issues and the European focus, the 20th Premier League defeat was a shocking and unacceptable reward for the club. There were booings from Spurs fans, although many had already headed to the exit before that. When they next come here to see their team approaching the Premier League match against Brighton, will they celebrate European victory in the Europa League final or try to stimulate a painful defeat?
The latest league losses may also bring injury issues. Dejan Kulusevski is one of three starters in the Europa League semi-race that didn't have a break - worrying that lim fell off just 16 minutes after a collision with Marc Guehi, although Heung-Min Son's return as a submarine after disappearing in the last seven games was an active game.
Angel Postecoglou hopes to include the Palace of Momentum in its major finals - but came to the Champions League for a tricky trip on Friday. Perhaps United were also defeated by West Ham, which is gratifying - but it was the result of making the Spurs 17th in the Premier League, highlighting their reliance on a successful trip to Bilbao.
Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou:
“I still feel that despite all of this stuff, none of us are close to the level we need to reach today. This doesn't help when you lose another player (Kulusevski). This is the thin line we are currently trying to navigate. I think (eight changes) explains some of them, but not all. We should be better today than before. I can't discount performance on changing quantity.
“Maybe some of them are psychological and cannot cope with the current situation.
About the players’ lack of impressive opportunities: "Today there is a chance to push your name forward and put pressure on those who have played but have no compelling evidence. It's something I'm trying to push with these guys, and sometimes, in football, you have to grab the opportunity before you. It's never perfect. There, it's an opportunity. When you introduce you, you have to take it.
Oliver Glasner, owner of Crystal Palace:
"It's a honor for the players. From the beginning, the energy level, the intensity, the effort and the commitment... we kept going and paid off. The performance was really good, especially in the first half, after the second goal, we narrowed it down a few percentage points, and it was a percentage point, and the game was very good. It was very good. A clean sheet was really great, it was really good.
"The best preparation is to show good performance here. The goal of our scoring, the consistency of defense. This will help our finals, not just the result. They keep pace, which is the most important thing. Don't play players from Monday without participating in players. Every footballer knows that all footballers know all the fitness, confidence, strategy you get in the game."