Heung-min Son return a positive but Tottenham still searching for creative spark before Europa League final | OneFootball

The captain needs to find his rhythm after returning from injury

The outstanding Eberechi Eze scored tap-ins either side of the interval to ensure the Eagles finished above Spurs for the first time ever in the Premier League era.

Here are three Spurs talking points from the match…

Spurs need a creative option against Utd

The less said about Tottenham’s performance, the better – so let us just say that they were dismal and Palace deserving winners…and move on.

So what did Ange Postecoglou learn from this game ahead of the all-important Europa League Final?

Mainly, you suspect, that Spurs desperately need some creativity against United in 10 days time and the loss of Dejan Kulusevski to a suspected knee injury means the head coach may have to get creative himself.

Kulusevski hobbled off after 18 minutes following a heavy challenge from Marc Guehi and is now a major concern for Bilbao.

Injury scare: Dejan Kulusevski

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Spurs are already without Lucas Bergvall (ankle) and James Maddison (knee) until next season, which had left Kulusevski as the only fit playmaker in the squad.

Pape Matar Sarr, who filled in at No10 for the first hour against the Eagles (Kulusevski actually started the game as a central striker), is a runner rather than a inventor, and Spurs struggled to progress the ball, nor hold it up once Mikey Moore replace the Swede and Mathys Tel went up top.

What are the head coach’s options? Wilson Odobert played the final half-hour at 10 but, like Sarr, struggled to make an impact, while Moore could also deputise through the middle at a push.

Or maybe Richarlison could play off Dominic Solanke in a front two and facilitate a more direct gameplan, reliant on width from the full-backs and wingers?

There is no great solution and Spurs will be massively sweating on Kulusevski’s fitness in the coming days after their latest abject display in the League.

Return of the Son

In a more positive injury development, the return of Heung-min Son for the final half-hour was a welcome boost for Spurs after the Korean had missed the previous seven matches with a niggling foot injury.

Son looked very rusty on his return to action, however, dithering over a cross for Moore when in a great position and struggling to make inroads as he deputised as central striker – albeit for a struggling Spurs second-string.

The hope, though, is now surely an hour or so against Aston Villa on Friday, which would leave him in contention to start in Bilbao.

As Spurs captain, talisman and most experienced player, and a brilliant clutch player on his day, the case for Son to start the final is obvious but he could now do with a more polished showing against Villa.

Richarlison was lively and committed from the left in both legs of the semi-final against Glimt, so the Brazilian, too, has made an argument for his inclusion.

It feels a little unfair to single out individuals after another miserable and dysfunctional team display, tactically and mentally from Spurs in the Premier League, but Djed Spence had a particularly rough match.

Over and over again throughout the 90 minutes but particularly in the first half Spence was caught wildly out of position, leaving Palace the freedom of their right flank.

It was no surprise that both Eze’s simple finishes came after bursts down the right after cut-backs from Muniz and Sarr.

Spence was so often to be found sprinting back, it was a wonder that Postecoglou did not hook him. Ben Davies was forced to cover for his full-back time and again, and Palace right-winger Munoz really should have done more with all that space.

In possession Spence was loose, more than once squandering the ball with an overly-ambitious raking pass.

Djed Spence endured a difficult afternoon

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It was not so long ago that Spence was comfortably one of Spurs’ best players, one of the few in the squad seemingly in solid form in the league.

Has he started believing his own hype? Or simply lost confidence since left-back rival Destiny Udogie returned to fitness and favour?

Whatever the case, there is little doubt that Pedro Porro and Udogie are now Postecoglou’s first choice full-backs, which did not appear at all certain just a few weeks back.