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Tottenham player ratings at Palace: Sanchez and Dier dominate

By Rucker Haringey

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 25: Eric Dier of Tottenham Hotspur shoots during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur at Selhurst Park on February 25, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 25: Eric Dier of Tottenham Hotspur shoots during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur at Selhurst Park on February 25, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 25: Serge Aurier and Hugo Lloris of Tottenham Hotspur celebrate after the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur at Selhurst Park on February 25, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 25: Serge Aurier and Hugo Lloris of Tottenham Hotspur celebrate after the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur at Selhurst Park on February 25, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images) /

Serge Aurier-5.5

Tottenham fans need to relax and take a deep breath regarding Aurier’s performance in this match. It certainly wasn’t a banner say for the former PSG star, but he doesn’t deserve the massive amount of stick he’s receiving on social media.

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It’s fair to criticize him for committing multiple foul throw-ins. No professional footballer should ever make such silly mistakes. It’s also fair to slate him for failing to turn in Ben Davies’ sumptuous cross in the second half. If Kane hadn’t come through late, many Spurs fans would be lamenting Aurier’s inability to get the ball out from under his feet.

If you want to call out those faults, it’s only fair to praise his one shining moment as well. Aurier made Tottenham’s most crucial challenge in the second half to rob Alexander Sorloth of a golden chance to score. This match could have ended 1-1 without Aurier’s defensive efforts.

Ben Davies-6

The aforementioned cross to Aurier was the only true bright spot of the match for Davies. Otherwise he was a steady presence on the pitch for Pochettino, but he didn’t do quite enough to really stand out.

The Welshman played a good defensive match, but he really didn’t have a ton to do on that end of the pitch. In matches like these Davies should find a way to get forward more often. In the end, he did enough to help his team earn the win, but he could have done more.

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