A huge surprise
After failing to win in their last four league games and shipping goals for fun, Ryan Mason made some key changes to his Tottenham XI in hope of the side getting back on track against Crystal Palace. The most notable alteration came in defence, with Eric Dier dropping out of the team after some poor displays in recent weeks.
Perhaps seen by some as an automatic starter in Mason's team, the acting head coach made a statement by naming the England international on the substitutes' bench. Another surprise in terms of the side saw Emerson Royal make his comeback from his recent injury and immediately return to the XI and play at right-back.
There was also some further welcome news on the injury front as Yves Bissouma was also included in the matchday squad after his three-month injury layoff. Mason had said in his pre-match press conference 24 hours earlier that the club were "hopeful" the midfielder would appear before the end of the season, with his return indicating that he can potentially play a part in the remaining three league fixtures of the campaign after not coming on in the win over Palace.
READ MORE: Tottenham player ratings vs Crystal Palace: Harry Kane scores as Romero, Porro and Emerson shine
Skipp's headwear
Playing a key role in midfield six days ago with a brilliant performance at Anfield as Tottenham lost 4-3 at Liverpool, Oliver Skipp unfortunately didn't play the full match after sustaining a head injury in the closing stages. Caught by Diogo Jota's high boot, the player was left with a nasty gash and blood coming from his head following the challenge.
Named in the heart of midfield alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg once again, the Tottenham academy product took to the field with a black bandage covering the injury he sustained on Merseyside.
Requiring stitches following the injury last weekend, he quite clearly needs to wear the headwear at present to ensure he does no further damage to the injury and it heals properly.
Porro applauds Emerson
The return of Emerson to the matchday squad was a boost for Mason as it meant Spurs' acting head coach had another option on the right flank, having been limited there recently. Starting as a right-back and then becoming a right-sided centre-back when in possession, with Pedro Porro playing ahead of him, the Brazilian impressed on his comeback with some neat bits of play.
One of those came just prior to half-time when he was in limited space on the right touchline and with an opponent in close proximity. Juggling the ball and producing a neat turn to lose his man, Emerson then laid the ball off with a header and it brought about a cheer inside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Porro was certainly impressed by what he saw from his teammate and duly applauded him for his efforts.
A different side to Son's game
Looking very sharp at Anfield last weekend and unlucky not to score more than one, Son Heung-min displayed a different side to his game in the home contest against Crystal Palace. Extremely limited in terms of chances going forward, the South Korean more than contributed defensively with some excellent work to frustrate the visitors.
Not long after half-time, Son made a crucial intervention to stop the impressive Michael Olise running through on goal after Eberechi Eze had looked to pick him out with a fine long ball. Racing back as Palace looked to counter, Son's header was crucial as otherwise the ex-Reading man was through on goal.
Later stopping Wilfried Zaha midway inside the Palace half as the visitors mounted another counter, it wasn't long before he frustrated Olise again just as he looked to burst through towards the area.
Maybe not making the contribution he wanted in the final third this time, his defensive play will certainly have been noted by everyone inside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as the result could have been very different if he wasn't there to stop Olise.
Porro excels
A major talking point in the past couple of games with Tottenham's opponents taking full advantage of Porro's struggles in defence, the Spaniard was given more licence to attack against Crystal Palace. The January signing was very advanced at times and he caught the eye with his attacking play.
Porro was the creator for Tottenham's only goal of the contest as Harry Kane picked him out with a hooked pass to the right, before the striker then beat Joel Ward at the far post and headed home from the right wing-back's superb delivery. Porro's delivery was a big threat throughout the contest as he put in some wicked balls from set-pieces, most notably the one that Cristian Romero headed against the crossbar in the first half.
There was one point in the second half when Porro angered Son after the cutting in from the right and opting to shoot with his left foot rather than squaring to his teammate across the box. He did, however, go close with another attempt that took a deflection and forced Sam Johnstone into a great save as the shot-stopper tipped the ball over the crossbar.
Certainly helped by having Emerson playing behind him and giving him the platform to push on, this was undoubtedly one of Porro's best performances in a Tottenham shirt. Hopefully there are plenty more to come.
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