Tottenham Hotspur experienced a 3-1 comeback victory at home against Crystal Palace, revitalizing their chances of making it to the top-four in the Premier League on Saturday, thanks to Timo Werner’s initial goal.
Werner, a former Chelsea player now on loan from RB Leipzig, scored an equalizer from close range in the 77th minute, negating the superb free kick goal by Eberechi Eze that had put Palace in early lead.
Tottenham, who had struggled to create opportunities for most of the match, suddenly seemed invigorated. Within three minutes, they went ahead when Cristian Romero scored a header.
The win was sealed with a characteristic clinical finish by Captain Son Heung-Min when squared one-on-one.
Tottenham now sits in fifth place with 50 points from 26 games, only two points behind Aston Villa.
Prior to Saturday’s match, Werner had not scored in his last five Premier League appearances for Tottenham.
Werner’s most recent goal in English football was two years ago and his move to Tottenham was targeted at rebuilding confidence in a player known for his goal-scoring prowess. Tottenham had over 80% of the ball possession but struggled to get past Palace’s defense.
Werner had a golden opportunity to score in the first half but his shot was thwarted by Palace goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.
Son blasted a shot against the foot of the post from Dejan Kulusevski’s cut during the more lively second half.
However, Palace regained the lead in the 59th minute. Eze’s stunning free kick from just outside the penalty area went through Guglielmo Vicario.
Tottenham’s saving grace came from substitute Brennan Johnson, who after a great display of patience down the right flank, managed to set up a pass for Werner to confidently sidefoot home his first goal since scoring for Leipzig in October.
Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou praised Werner saying that despite his goal drought, Werner’s aggressive running and his overall play were impressive.
Romero then netted the second goal with a beautiful lofted pass from James Maddison and with Palace looking deflated, Son proceeded to score his 13th league goal of the season.
