Dutch international Victoria Pelova beamed with relief after shedding early season pressure with a sensational brace during Tottenham’s demolition of Crystal Palace.
Moving across North London from Arsenal always brings extra eyes and sharp expectations. Victoria Pelova answered that scrutiny brilliantly on Sunday. Handed her first league start, the Dutch playmaker turned in an influential display as the Lilywhites cruised to a 7 goal victory at Selhurst Park.
Having only featured from the bench in earlier matches, Pelova wasted no time showing her quality. Four minutes after the break, she unlocked a stubborn defence by clipping an accurate cross for Olivia Holdt to volley home. Pelova soon found the bottom corner herself before wrapping up the scoring in stoppage time.
Speaking to SPURSPLAY after the final whistle, the midfielder admitted that opening her account lifted a heavy burden. “It feels really good,” Pelova said. “It is nice that you do not have the pressure anymore to score that first goal, so it is really nice and obviously an important result for the team.”
Tactical Adjustments Unlock Palace Low Block
Palace defended deep despite an early red card, creating frustration throughout a scoreless opening period. Manager Martin Ho used the interval to reshape attacking patterns, urging his squad to move possession quicker and stretch the pitch.
Pelova praised the boss for orchestrating the second half turnaround. “It is hard to play against a low block, but Martin said some good things at half time of what we have to do, and I think we executed that well,” she explained. “You could see seven goals, different goalscorers, so that is nice.” Teammates Shekiera Martinez and Amanda Nilden also found the net during the second half avalanche.
Tottenham Hotspur now face a demanding run of fixtures across multiple competitions over the coming fortnight. In a tight league table, goal difference frequently decides European spots. Pelova for sure knows building momentum will pay off later.
