Analysis: Crystal Palace

Roy Hodgson set his Crystal Palace team up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Cheikhou Kouyate, Max Meyer and Jeffrey Schlupp as a midfield three behind Andros Townsend, Wilfried Zaha and central striker Connor Wickham. Palace were happy to concede possession for the majority of the game – they registered just 37 per cent across the 90 minutes – and looked to utilise the pace of Zaha and Townsend as well as playing direct into Wickham.

Zaha and Townsend would be positioned slightly ahead of the midfield line out of possession; this allowed them to be in an advantageous situation to counter-attack should Palace regain the ball. Towards the end of the game, Zaha recovered less and remained higher for the counter, while Townsend dropped in more to help defend.

Palace’s other noticeable strategy in attack was to use the width provided by full-backs Patrick van Aanholt and Joel Ward to send crosses into the box. Here, Wickham would be joined by runners from midfield, usually in the form of Meyer and/or Schlupp – as seen in the latter’s role in Wickham’s opening goal after just nine minutes.

Out of possession, Palace utilised a combination of 4-3-3 and 4-5-1, depending on where Zaha and Townsend were positioned. The hosts set up in a mid-block that also took on the form of a low block on several occasions, particularly after both goals and towards the latter stages of the game.

When Tottenham were building, Palace were generally happy for centre-backs Davinson Sanchez, Jan Vertonghen and Juan Foyth to have possession. Wickham would position himself between midfielders Eric Dier and Oliver Skipp, while Townsend and Zaha operated between the outside centre-back and wing-back on their side. This meant they could press the centre-back if necessary, while leaving only an aerial passing line into the wing-back – which in turn allowed more Palace players to support if necessary.

Kouyate, Meyer and Schlupp worked to prevent penetration through the middle, and they found this relatively easy in the first half with only Lucas Moura, Georges-Kevin N’Koudou and Fernando Llorente behind them and four Palace defenders to support them. If Wickham chose to press the Spurs centre-backs, Meyer and Schlupp would look to drop with Dier and Skipp while Kouyate provided cover behind them and blocked the ball into Llorente’s feet.

All in all, the disciplined and organised nature of the Palace structure out of possession limited Spurs in their attacking options. When balls were crossed in to Llorente from wide areas, the midfielders worked hard to track back so the forward felt pressure from both front and back. This commitment throughout the Palace team ensured that the visitors struggled to create the quality of chances required to find a way back into the game – and helped the hosts move comfortably into the last 16.