On Saturday afternoon Spurs’ Under 21 side faced Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, in their latest Premier League 2 fixture. Wayne Burnett’s Spurs side lost the game 3-0, to a Crystal Palace who have started the season really well. Spurs lined-up with Aaron Maguire in goal, while Kallum Cesay, Marqes Muir, Alfie Dorrington and Tyrell Ashcroft started in defence. Matthew Craig and Harvey White started in central midfield, as Yago Santiago and Romaine Mundle started out on the flanks, either side of CAM and Spurs captain Nile John. Jamie Donley led the line for Spurs. Crystal Palace got the match underway. After receiving Killian Phillips’ pass inside the Spurs penalty area, John-Kymani Gordon had an effort blocked by Kallum Cesay. After Spurs had give the ball away, Crystal Palace made the most of the opportunity. David Omilabu passed the ball to John-Kymani Gordon on the right side of the Spurs box. Gordon went past Marqes Muir, before finishing low, into the far corner of Aaron Maguire’s goal, 0-1.

After receiving a pass from Harvey White on the edge of the Crystal Palace box, Nile John hit a curling effort towards the goal (it looked like it had taken a deflection off of a Crystal Palace defender) which hit Crystal Palace goalkeeper Owen Goodman’s left post. Spurs created another decent chance soon after. This time Yago Santiago passed the ball to Kallum Cesay on the edge of the Crystal Palace box, and his deflected effort hit Owen Goodman’s right post. Matthew Craig received a yellow card, before then managing to deflect behind a good effort from Jack Wells-Morrison on the edge of the Spurs box. Crystal Palace doubled their lead on 31 minutes. David Omilabu’s lofted pass from the right found John-Kymani Gordon inside the Spurs box, and his low volleyed effort deflected off of Alfie Dorrington, and past Aaron Maguire in the Spurs goal, 0-2.

After Harvey White had managed to win the ball on the right side of the Crystal Palace box, he went forward with the ball, before Owen Goodman managed to save his effort from a difficult angle. Crystal Palace made it 3-0 soon after. After the impressive David Ozoh passed the ball to Victor Akinwale on the right side of the Spurs box, the England youth international hit an effort on goal, which Aaron Maguire saved, but couldn’t gather. The ball came to John-Kymani Gordon who finished well to get his hat-trick, despite the best efforts of Aaron Maguire and Alfie Dorrington, 0-3. After Yago Santiago received Nile John’s pass, the former Celta Vigo player gave the ball to Jamie Donley on the right side of the Crystal Palace box, but the centre-forward hit the ball across the face of the goal. Nile John then had an effort from distance saved by Owen Goodman, in what was the final chance of the first half. 

Spurs got the second half underway. Nile John hit a low effort wide, from the edge of the Crystal Palace penalty area, early on in the second half. Killian Phillips then hit an effort over Aaron Maguire’s goal, from inside the Spurs box, before Nile John had an effort saved from the edge of the Crystal Palace box. Spurs were trying to get back into the game. Romaine Mundle had a curling effort from the edge of the Crystal Palace box, saved by Owen Goodman. And then at the other end of the pitch, Noah Watson hit an effort over the Spurs goal from distance. After Romaine Mundle had a chance inside the Crystal Palace penalty area, the ball came to Yago Santiago. However, the Spurs forward had his effort saved by Owen Goodman. Malachi Fagan-Walcott came on to replace Marqes Muir in central defence, and then shortly after Roshaun Mathurin came on to replace Alfie Dorrington, with Matthew Craig moving to central defence. David Ozoh hit an effort over from the edge of the Spurs box, before Kallum Cesay hit a low effort wide from the edge of the Crystal Palace box, at the other end of the pitch. 

John-Kymani Gordon hit a late effort over Aaron Maguire’s goal, from the edge of the Spurs box, just before the referee sounded his whistle for full-time. Spurs’ Under 21 side face West Ham United next Saturday afternoon, in their next Premier League 2 fixture.

My Spurs player of the match – Malachi Fagan-Walcott. The 20 year old central defender made his return to the Spurs Under 21 side as a substitute in the 68th minute of the Crystal Palace game, and he read the game well, showed his experience and was assured in defence.