Tottenham’s long-standing struggle with consistency showed once again as they “played into Palace’s hands a little” in a 1-0 defeat at Selhurst Park on Sunday. Jean-Philippe Mateta netted the lone goal in the 31st minute of a match with few clear-cut chances, taking advantage of a disjointed Spurs side.

In an attempt to freshen the line-up, Ange Postecoglou handed 17-year-old Mikey Moore his first Premier League start, replacing captain Heung-Min Son over injury concerns following last weekend’s 4-1 victory over West Ham.

Tottenham nearly equalised shortly after Palace’s opener, with Brennan Johnson’s shot hitting the post and James Maddison forcing a sharp save from Dean Henderson late in the first half. However, it was Guglielmo Vicario who faced the greater workload in the second half, making three key saves as Spurs struggled to establish rhythm and break down Palace’s resolute back five in an encounter marked by frequent stoppages.

Consistency has always been the Achilles’s Heel for Tottenham

“It wasn’t great. The game turned into a battle with many stoppages, and they handled it better than we did. They out-fought us and got the job done. We played into their hands by not staying composed enough and could have managed it all better. In these games, you need to battle, fight, and keep your composure. There wasn’t much fluency in our play, and we didn’t handle that well.”

Ange speaking on the post match Interview via Youtube

The match at Selhurst Park turned into a battle with numerous stoppages, which the opposition managed better, ultimately out-fighting Tottenham to secure the win. Tottenham played into their hands by losing composure, missing opportunities to handle the game with more control. In these types of matches, battling, fighting, and keeping calm are really essential. However, there was little fluency in Tottenham’s play, and overall, they didn’t manage it well.

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While Tottenham has shown moments of promise, consistency remains the missing link in their pursuit of sustained success. Finding a balance between flexibility and composure will be crucial if they’re to compete at the highest level and turn potential into achievement.