Second-half reaction vital against Palace, says Bale
Mon 08 March 2021, 11:33|
Tottenham Hotspur
Gareth Bale pointed to our fast start to the second half as key to our 4-1 victory over Crystal Palace.
Leading via the Welshman’s opener in the first period, we conceded to Christian Benteke on the stroke of half-time but hit the Eagles with a quickfire double soon after the restart to effectively put the game to bed, Gareth powering home a header before Harry Kane followed up with a stunning finish from the edge of the box.
Harry, who had provided the assists for both of Gareth’s goals, then doubled his own tally in the closing stages as we made it four wins in a row in all competitions, moving to within two points of the top four.
“They are a difficult team to play against but I thought we started the game very well, we were in control for maybe 35 minutes of the first half, but then invited them on a bit at the end of the first half and it was a bit of a blow to concede just before half-time,” explained Gareth. “But I think that got us going, it got us out in the second half raring to go and we started fast, got early goals and saw the game out easily.
“Maybe that was the best thing to happen (to concede just before half-time) because it kind of kick-started us for the start of the second half. We were attacking, pressing them high and that was the catalyst to go on and dominate the game.”
While he wasn’t on the scoresheet himself, Lucas Moura impressed during Sunday’s win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, his energy and high-pressing leading to our opening goal. Gareth hailed the Brazilian for his contributions – and highlighted the influence of all our attacking players in driving each other on.
“(Lucas) was fantastic, all the players, not just the ones playing, the ones on the bench, all great players and we have to keep working hard and putting in those performances to stay in the team,” he said. “We have some great attacking talent on the pitch and off the pitch as well, so we all have to keep working hard to score goals, to help each other, to work hard for the team. It’s great to get the three points, we keep building on our winning run and keep that winning mentality going.”
