A different Tottenham
This was a very different Tottenham Hotspur that took to the pitch, even from the one Ryan Mason had put out in his first two matches at the helm.
With a full week to work with the team, the 31-year-old trained them to take on board a fluid set-up to counter the tricky Crystal Palace wide men. With the system, out of possession Spurs sat in a 4-4-2 shape with Pedro Porro playing as a right winger and also creating a second line of defence in front of the returning Emerson Royal to double up on Wilfried Zaha.
When Spurs had the ball so they switched to more of a 3-4-3 but with Emerson on the right of the back three and Ben Davies pushing up high down the left-hand side. In that sense it was a reversal of the Jose Mourinho back four which would become a three in possession with Davies tucking in and Serge Aurier pushing high up the pitch down the right.
READ MORE: Tottenham player ratings vs Crystal Palace: Harry Kane scores as Romero, Porro and Emerson shine
It meant a Palace team that had scored 13 goals in their previous six matches was nullified, managing just two shots on target all game and both were low and very comfortable for Fraser Forster to claim in front of his goal.
That meant Tottenham recorded their first clean sheet in the Premier League since February and they did so with a line-up that pleased the majority of the watching fans.
Eric Dier has had a tough time of late, struggling with his form and failing to show his experience in a stuttering defence. With many supporters' patience running low with the England international, Mason's decision to take him out of the firing line was a crowd-pleasing move.
On the pitch it brought more balance with the left-footed Clement Lenglet alongside the right-sided Cristian Romero. Both put in fine performances until the Frenchman left with a shoulder injury and Dier even got on for seven minutes to help secure the clean sheet.
Romero put in the kind of performance that is expected of him. The 25-year-old World Cup winner can be dominant when he controls his aggression and reckless when he doesn't.
This performance, against tricky attackers like Zaha, Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze, could have brought out his reckless side but he was disciplined throughout and Spurs benefited hugely from it.
Romero made three tackles, five interceptions, won six aerial duels and completed a huge eight clearances and played a Toby Alderweireld-esque pass into the path of Son Heung-min for a big chance in the second half.
The system employed by Mason, aided by his coaching staff which includes the well-regarded Matt Wells, grandson of the Spurs double-winning legend Cliff Jones, did exactly what it was designed for.
While Spurs were unable to create the flood of chances they did against Manchester United and Liverpool, they shut out Palace for long periods and had the four best opportunities of the game themselves - Romero's header against the crossbar, Harry Kane's headed winner, Porro's deflected shot that had to be tipped over and then Son's run and saved effort.
Mason explained to football.london exactly what he did with the system with a week on the training ground.
"Ultimately we wanted to engage Palace higher up the pitch because we know they have some individual brilliance, and we wanted to avoid them getting the ball in our final third and the box running at us," he said.
"So we added a sixth man into the press and tried to be a bit more aggressive and I have to compliment the players because when you've been working in a certain way for so long to make that change at this stage of the season it's very positive for me."
Mason then admitted that the extra sixth man he added to the press was Porro, utilising the Spaniard's fitness.
He explained further in his club interview: "It's a similar sort of personnel to what we've had previously but we just wanted to engage them higher up the pitch with two strikers and more of a four-man defence, because we know they've got some individual brilliance in the final third situations.
"So for us to try to limit people like Zaha, Olise and Eze, getting on the ball in the final third was what we wanted to do and I thought we did that. Obviously the last five or 10 minutes, naturally when you haven't won in a while there comes a bit of tension. Overall I thought we were good value for the win and probably could have had one more with Sonny in the second half but I'm very happy."
He added: "I've got experienced people with me on the bench and I lean on them. We talk and I think in different games and different situations, you have to adapt because the teams in the Premier League are so good, so fluid and well-organised.
"It's our job to help the players as much as possible and I thought today the little tweak we did, the players responded and they worked very hard this week. They deserve all the credit because we've asked them to do something they haven't done in a while, they responded, they were brave with it and ultimately we got the result."
Kane was pleased with how the system prevented Tottenham from reverting to their tendency this season of falling back and sitting on the edge of their own box.
"It was good. I thought that we got pressure higher up the pitch. We weren't so camped in our half. Then with the ball I felt we kept possession a bit better. We were a bit more patient, not forcing it forward too much," he said.
"We were playing against a good side so there weren't too many chances but if you look at the whole game we probably had the better ones. I can't remember Fraser making too many saves.
"Overall we're still working and we've got another week now with Ryan to work again towards a really tough game against Villa."
This was a chance to prove what Mason could do with a full week of training under his belt on the Hotspur Way pitches.
"Absolutely [this full week has helped]. The first week [after I took over] we had no time to work on the training pitch, it was just trying to get inside the players and create a different feeling inside the group," said the young coach.
"To have a week to actually get on the grass and work, to try to help the players and give them new ideas, a new stimulus, they all responded well, not only the starters but also the whole squad. The training week has been very good and when you get a result on the pitch it fills the group with confidence."
This was an important first win for Mason during his latest caretaker spell and the mood inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium did feel different. There was more positivity on the whole, no boos and the timing of Kane's goal helped keep the support around them.
This win was something tangible to build on for both the 31-year-old and his team after the positives to be found within the draw against United and last-gasp defeat at Liverpool. On Saturday afternoon many Spurs fans might have been wondering why Mason didn't get his chance a little bit sooner.
King Kane
The nightmarish vision of a Tottenham Hotspur without Harry Kane is one no fan of the north London side ever wants to see realised.
The ApoKanelypse - a bleak future without the 29-year-old - is a particularly horrendous thought because the England captain just continues to save them match after match.
This was yet another day in which Kane scored the winning goal and in doing so he sent more records tumbling in his wake.
His goal showcased why he is the beating heart of Tottenham. After a move which began at the back, Ben Davies hit a hard ball infield to Kane, who teed it up with his left foot, swivelled and in one move volleyed it into the path of Porro as he tore down the right flank.
The Spaniard took a touch before sitting up a cross to the back post where Kane had ghosted in unnoticed to plant a header into the turf and past Palace keeper Sam Johnstone.
Everything good Spurs do runs through Kane, including a threaded pass to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg for an earlier chance and the striker fought hard for Mason, constantly tracking back and making one key clearance in front of his own goal.
His match-winning header made it 26 Premier League goals this season from 35 matches, the striker managing that within an inconsistent and struggling Tottenham side in which he has often been starved of service.
When Erling Haaland's remarkable first season in the Premier League, with 35 Premier League goals in 32 games, is getting all of the attention, Kane's efforts have gone somewhat unnoticed outside stuttering Spurs.
Perhaps that's because everyone expects Kane to score goals aplenty so this is nothing new. What many people might not have thought about is exactly how many the England captain would have scored if he was in Haaland's shoes.
The Norwegian is an incredible striker but so is Kane and it's difficult to argue against the fact that if he can score just nine less with the relative lack of chances created at Tottenham then he would net a similar amount to Haaland, or perhaps even more, within a Manchester City side that creates at whim.
This latest goal for Spurs meant that Kane became the first player ever to score 10 headed goals in a Premier League season and the only player to net 100 goals in both home and away games in the league.
That header also meant he overtook Wayne Rooney as the Premier League's second-highest ever goalscorer on 209 goals. Kane reached it in just 317 appearances, compared to Rooney's 491 to reach 208 goals.
Just one man has now scored more goals in the competition than Kane and that is Alan Shearer with his 260 goals in 441 appearances. Only 51 goals separate the two strikers and that is why Kane is not likely to move abroad in the near future despite the links.
"On to the next one," he said with a smile in his club interview after the game. "These are great, really special achievements that it's hard to think about during the season.
"To go second in the all-time list above Wayne is something I'm extremely proud of. I like to improve every season so that headed goal one, to find goals in different ways is important. I've just got to keep work, keep improving and hopefully keep scoring goals."
He was happy with the victory, the first of the season for his close friend Mason. The two of them progressed a couple of years apart in Spurs' academy and would play together at various age groups and into the first team. They still sometimes holiday together with their families and Kane will be as happy for Mason as he was with his goal.
"It was a really tough game off the back of the week we had so to get the three points and a clean sheet is pleasing," he said. "We changed the system without the ball and it worked. We caused them a few problems with the ball as we. We can be proud of the result.
"It was Ryan's first full week to work and train. We changed to 4-4-2 without the ball to get the extra man and then with the ball it was similar to our normal formation. It's nice to get on the scoresheet and when you win it feels that bit sweeter."
Mason's admiration for Kane is clear and he sees him as the pinnacle for all players to aspire to, on and off the pitch.
"I think we can sit here all day and speak about Harry. Naturally people see the goals, the records, but probably what doesn't get touched upon enough is the individual brilliance from a technical point of view," he said.
"Most importantly the team player, the humility. He's humble, he works hard, he fights for the team. He's recovering, he's working back. He's an example for any young player to see a top player and how to act. We're very lucky to have him, we know that, we feel it every day."
When asked what changes he's seen in Kane over the years of their friendship, he responded: "It's a difficult one. I don't think I've seen a great deal of change in terms of the person, the mindset, the elite mindset, the desire to keep working hard and improve. Naturally I think we'll all talk about Harry's goals and when he plays games of football he will continue to score goals. We know that.
"Also that elite mindset, that example that he sets every day in and around the place, it's great to be around, because when you have people like that they inspire you to be better. We appreciate Harry and we value him so highly in this football club."
Mason does not want to look too far forward to Shearer's record for his friend, because he knows better than anyone how cruel football can be.
"I don't like speaking too much about the future because from personal experience you can't plan too far ahead in football terms and in life," said the acting Spurs boss. "You've got to be in the moment.
"Harry is certainly one player who is focused in every game and he gives the best version of himself every time he's out on that football pitch, whether it's on the training ground or matchday. Hopefully Harry continues to play and I'm sure he'll continue to score goals."
Seeing Kane pop up in his own penalty area and clear a dangerous ball in the six-yard box pleased Mason as much as the goal.
"The Premier League is tough. To win games in the Premier League is difficult and you have to have 11 players that are fighting for each other and working hard as a collective to get results," he said.
"When you've got your captain, your leader, your goalscorer, probably one of our best players setting that example, that's what I want. That's what any manager or coach wants. It probably doesn't get spoken about enough in terms of his overall performances because we put a lot of attention on his goals and his goalscoring records but he's a joy to watch. In this country we should really appreciate him because he's a special, special player."
Roy Hodgson handed Kane his England debut - he of course scored within 80 seconds of coming on against Lithuania at Wembley - and the Palace boss remains a huge fan.
"He always scored in my four years previously at Palace. A real talent of a goal from a transitional situation. The way he got the ball and volleyed it into that space. We know how good he is in the air and he showed it again. His moment of brilliance won the game," he said.
"He's a fine player. What he has done for this club has been enormous. Since he made his debut for England when we were with the England team he has gone from strength to strength. He is still a young man and I'm pretty certain Alan [Shearer] needs to be concerned because Harry will be breathing down his neck.
"I would think that the only things that stand between him and the record will be, is he going to avoid serious injury, is he going to be able to get 20 to 30 matches a year behind him, is he going to get help from his team-mates and play in a good team? If all those things take place, I would expect him to break the record, absolutely."
While they were unable to impact the game going forward, both Son and Richarlison deserved plenty of credit for their own defensive work.
The Brazilian tracked back on a number of occasions and in one such moment showed off a Jay-Jay Okocha-style scoop and run past Jordan Ayew that ended with the Palace man getting a yellow card for pulling both Richarlison and Emerson back in one motion.
Son worked his socks off. He was constantly chasing back down the left and while often on corner duty in the past, on Saturday the South Korean's job was to use his pace to snuff out any counter-attacks from the lightning-fast Palace attackers from Spurs' attacking set pieces.
He did so to great effect on a couple of occasions including one rare but vital header to stop Olise getting through on goal.
"Full credit to Ryan and the staff. It was his first full week to really work and train us. He changed the system a little bit without the ball, and without the ball to keep more possession," said Kane.
"Set pieces are a big part of the game so he knew that Sonny's pace could keep up with some of their counter-attacking pace. Credit to him, he stuck with it and he made a couple of important headers there at the back. From front to back everyone was determined to keep a clean sheet and that's important going forward."
Mason added: "That's how you win games of football and we've been banging on about that for the past 10 days or so, that we have to be together in every moment.
"Naturally the attacking players will score more goals and get the plaudits from an attacking point of view, but when you work as a team, you fight for each other and you show you're committed for each other, I think the fans can appreciate that type of action as well.
"To see a player like Sonny, and Harry and Richy, players of their size and stature, tracking back, recovering, fighting, running for the team, that's what we want to see."
There was one incredibly negative note to the game though as Spurs are once again looking into what appeared to be a racist gesture aimed towards Son from among the visiting fans, with video footage circulating on social media on Saturday evening showing one of the Palace support. The technology within the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with high definition cameras trained on every seat, should at least ensure a thorough investigation ensues.
Tottenham's right
Another key element of Tottenham's victory was the performance of their two players down the right flank.
Ryan Mason showed a Cristian Stellini-level of subterfuge with his team news on Friday ahead of the match.
On Emerson Royal he had said: "Emerson I think it is a day to day check on how he is and how he's coping. Hopefully Emerson can help us between now and end of the season."
The Brazilian certainly did. He started the match just the next day on his return from his knee surgery back in March.
Then there was Yves Bissouma. Mason said of the midfielder: "There are obviously some hurdles he has got to overcome and to hit some certain goals but we are hopeful he will appear before the end of the season."
Those hurdles were presumably breakfast and tying up his boot laces, because Bissouma was on the bench 24 hours after those comments, three months after his ankle surgery.
Bissouma was unused on the day but Emerson made a big impact on the game in a dual role. Out of possession he was a right-back and in possession he tucked in and took up a position on the right of a back three.
It was the perfect solution to get the best out of the Brazilian and also Porro in front of him, while limiting the exposure of their weaknesses, attacking and defending respectively.
Emerson had a battle on his hands with the skilful, experienced and confident Zaha running at him but the Spurs man won more than his fair share of tussles and the Ivory Coast international grew more and more frustrated as the match wore on.
Emerson made two tackles, two interceptions and three clearances on the day and he lasted the full 95 minutes on his return to action after more than two months out.
"He was outstanding," said Mason. "I thought the whole team without the ball worked hard, they worked together and obviously Eme has had a period out, but I trust him.
"We trust him and I thought today he did a very good job along with the rest of the players on the pitch. When you keep a clean sheet it's a collective, it's everyone and everyone fought for the clean sheet. The players on the pitch but also the ones who didn't because in the training week we've all worked hard together and they're the results you want."
Emerson's journey from the fans' boos to their cheers is one of the few happy tales of Tottenham's season. That the team looks better with him in it is a mark of real credit for his persistence and determination.
Having him behind Porro also gave the Spaniard a platform to produce one of his best displays since joining in January in a move that will be a £40m one come the end of the season.
The 23-year-old sent in the corner that Romero thudded against the crossbar and then delivered that perfect cross for Kane to head home before the break. He also had a deflected shot tipped over after the hour mark. He worked hard in the press and also when he tracked back and his set pieces were often dangerous.
"Pedro is fantastic, he's got a great delivery," said Kane. "As he looked up I think he just saw me there at the back post with a bit of space. Perfect ball and I timed my header well and with the zip of the surface it was nice to see it bounce in.
"I think he showed great desire without the ball today. We know what he can do with the ball, but without the ball he showed great desire against a really tough winger."
Mason added: "Pedro has been quite effective for us, even in the previous system. He's scored goals, he's created chances. He's a good guy, he works hard, he fights for the team and I thought we saw that today.
"He's affected the game today with and without the ball. That was the job and the task that we set him. I'm very pleased. Very pleased with his performance for the team because we saw a desire to help his team-mate from a defensive point of view but also not losing that attacking threat that we wanted him to give us and he's been part of a clean sheet for the group but also got the assist for Harry, which is good for him."
Both Porro and Emerson will offer the next Tottenham manager very different attributes and it's going to be fascinating to see how they are utilised.
The Mason factor may have come too early
There's something about Ryan Mason. Even when he was 29 and took charge of Spurs for the first time, winning four of his six Premier League games, he had a presence about him and a keen tactical mind.
Two years on, with his UEFA Pro Licence earned in January, he's got even more confidence in his own ability to back up his ever-growing authority.
The players talk glowingly of Mason's training sessions, as they did in 2021, and Antonio Conte was impressed enough with the ones he saw on his first day - before his work permit had arrived - to want to bring the young coach on to his staff.
Mason's fifth Premier League victory as an acting head coach - more than some permanent managers have to their name - ended 10 days or so in which he picked up a point against United, helped stir a rousing comeback at Anfield with a tactical tweak only to suffer late heartbreak due to an individual error, before fixing the leaky defence against a previously rampant Palace attack.
Mason has made no secret of wanting the Tottenham job on a permanent basis now rather than later and he will say that nobody knows the club like he does, so he has a head start on any candidate, particularly the inexperienced ones being linked to the job.
This latest victory to Mason's name will have convinced some more of the fanbase that he does have something about him.
The matches against United and Liverpool brought better attacking play than the supporters have seen for much of the season and the win against Palace the first clean sheet they have witnessed since February.
When asked if he wants the job full-time in his first press conference last week Mason said: "Yeah obviously I’m ready and if that situation happens it obviously means I have done a good job, but that is obviously in the future of four five six weeks’ time.
"I have never doubted my personal ability because I have worked hard for the last six years spending many hours on the grass and coached a lot to get a good understanding for it. At the same I like seeing young managers do well and probably more so young English managers because I think the route for us is probably quite difficult at times.
"That's part of football, the more younger managers we get is good and exciting for people, but at the same time you've got to get results. That's the business. If you don't get results, unfortunately it becomes difficult."
Mason is not a meek touchline presence either. He was furious at Tottenham's physios for bringing Clement Lenglet off the pitch before he could bring on Eric Dier as Spurs were defending a dangerous free-kick. The Frenchman had injured his shoulder after using it to bring down Zaha to prevent him running through.
The acting head coach did not want Tottenham to have been left a centre-back down in trying to defend the set piece, but fortunately the hosts were still able to make their change despite Lenglet coming off. The Frenchman did not look happy either at the situation but the fact that he was taken straight down the tunnel showed the physios were worried enough about his shoulder.
Mason has shifted the mood inside the club and outside of it and his dropping of Dier from the line-up showed that he is not duty-bound to his former team-mates. He admitted on Saturday that he is aware that his team selections have to excite the fanbase.
"I'm very aware of it. I was a player here. I always felt what it was like to play in the stadium with our fans. The club has a history, a certain DNA, a certain expectation, but for me I'm realistic as well," he admitted.
"When you don't have enough time to really change too much, it's about trying to stimulate the players and create a new feeling for everyone in this stadium, the fans, the players, everyone. You also have to be aware that when you don't have too much time, it's hard to change too much.
"I thought though that we would see a difference today and we did. The training week has been good and ultimately we're here to win games of football and we did that today."
If Mason were to win all three remaining matches then more fans will warm to the idea of him taking on the role permanently but it may well not be enough to push him up the pecking order.
Chairman Daniel Levy, again the target of some chants from the south stand on Saturday, knows he has to make some kind of statement with his next appointments of both a head coach and director of football.
While some fans might accept Mason getting the role and even see it as Tottenham's version of Mikel Arteta, albeit one a decade younger, others would view it as a cheap, unambitious move by the chairman.
Tottenham are now at the stage where they are beginning to speak to prospective candidates who are currently in roles, having already spoken to those not in them, including Julian Nagelsmann.
Yet the club are also proactively shooting down any such suggestions that discussions have taken place or indications that there is a leading candidate as inaccurate, including those to Nagelsmann and also to Xabi Alonso.
That could simply be to dampen expectations among the expectant fanbase in case any potential move does not materialise or it could be because those discussions have not progressed as expected.
Nagelsmann will come with a cost as he was not technically sacked, rather put on gardening leave so is still contracted to Bayern Munich, who knew full well that they would not likely have to end up paying off his contract with his compensation reportedly still set to be more than £10m this summer.
Spurs would not hesitate to pay that for a decent player so it would be ludicrous for that to be an issue for one of the game's most talented young managers who could potentially bring them long-term success.
The suggestions from Germany are that Nagelsmann is interested in the prospect of awakening a dormant Tottenham - his alternative options have lessened in recent weeks - but that the 35-year-old would need reassurances over the ability of Spurs to challenge at the top and who will become the director of football.
Six years older than Nagelsmann yet much more of a gamble is Alonso, who has only been a first team manager since October and has been in charge for just 32 matches. His only previous experience was with Real Sociedad B, who he led to promotion and relegation in successive seasons.
The former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder, who favours a 3-4-3 formation, has made a big impression though with Bayer Leverkusen, sweeping them up the table and into the Europa League semi-finals. He would likely be the cheapest option for Spurs with a contract until 2024.
Arne Slot remains a strong candidate for the role, coming highly recommended by those who advise Levy in the Dutch game. The Spurs chairman may also want to correct his error in not pushing through a move for the last top manager in the Netherlands - Erik ten Hag - when the then Ajax boss was keen on the switch in 2021.
Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi will continue to be of interest even if it will be tough to convince the Italian to leave the burgeoning Seagulls project and expensive to prise him away if they could, while Sporting boss Ruben Amorim has also caught Tottenham's eye this season.
Levy will push on with the quest to appoint both his latest head coach and director of football in the weeks ahead and other names could yet come into the frame if he wants to find the perfect blend between the two.
It's worth noting that Fabio Paratici ripped up Spurs' shortlist of managers back in 2021 to seek his own candidate. That ended up being Nuno Espirito Santo, which was not exactly the best advert for the process.
Mason will continue to push his claims in trying to help Spurs win all of their remaining games and a victory at Villa Park would all but secure European football next season in creating a six-point gap between Unai Emery's men and Tottenham.
Mason will also have a keen eye on the club's academy as the U21 development squad need to win by three goals on Sunday against West Ham to ensure they escape relegation after a difficult season.
Wayne Burnett's side have had everything thrown at them this season. There have been injuries galore to key players, even new signings like strikers Will Lankshear and Jude Soonsup-Bell were quickly lost to season-ending problems.
Then there was Conte, who would often call upon members of the U21s squad at late notice for his training sessions, sometimes using large numbers of them to act as static opponents to help drill his first team players in repeated patterns of play.
That would not only leave the U21 training sessions near empty and occasionally players would be used on the mornings of academy matches, leaving them unprepared or missing from those games.
So while the U18s and U17s have shone this season in both winning their respective Premier League Cups, the U21s have had a far tougher time and lie second from bottom in their division with the bottom two going down.
So important is staying in the top flight of Premier League 2 for the academy that Tottenham could well make use of the rule that allows five overage players, changed from three last season after the league dropped from an U23 one to U21.
That could mean for instance that 30-year-old Lucas Moura helps out again, as he has done in previous recent games while suspended from the first team. Others who did not feature against Palace on Saturday might also get minutes in their legs in the game at Hotspur Way, such as 20-year-old Pape Matar Sarr, 24-year-old academy product Japhet Tanganga and even possibly 26-year-old Yves Bissouma, who needs game time ahead of the final three matches.
West Ham cannot drawn from their first team squad as easily as they play in the Premier League on the same day.
A Spurs win by three goals would overhaul Wolves, who have already played their final fixture of the season in the 14-team division, but it would actually send down West Ham into division two as their goal difference would then be worse than that of the west Midlands side.
It is going to be a tense time at Hotspur Way as Tottenham look to the future both on and off the pitch.
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