Tottenham Hotspur beat Crystal Palace 1-0 on Sunday afternoon.
Paulo Gazzaniga of Spurs
Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga has told the club’s official website that he was only told that he would be facing Crystal Palace a matter of hours before the game.
Just days after beating Real Madrid 3-1 at Wembley Stadium in Wednesday’s incredible Champions League clash, Spurs were back at Wembley again on Sunday afternoon to take on London rivals and the Premier League’s bottom club, Crystal Palace.
It proved to be something of a frustrating afternoon for Spurs, who couldn’t quite hit top gear against Roy Hodgson’s men, but they did claim all three points thanks to a superb finish from Son Heung-min.
Tottenham’s Paulo Gazzaniga attempts to block Mamadou Sakho’s effort
Spurs were far from convincing, and they had stand-in goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga to thank for a superb debut performance.
Gazzaniga made one particularly important save to deny Andros Townsend a goal against his former club, and the Argentinian largely impressed when called upon, other than a rush of blood to the head which presented Wilfried Zaha with a huge chance.
Gazzaniga, signed from Southampton over the summer as he reunited with his former boss Mauricio Pochettino, had been brought in as third choice shot-stopper, but injuries handed him a debut on Sunday.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Paulo Gazzaniga (L) dives to save a shot from Crystal Palace winger Andros Townsend
Hugo Lloris was already out after suffering a groin injury against Real Madrid, but then deputy Michel Vorm also went down with a knee injury, forcing Gazzaniga into action.
The 25-year-old didn’t let Pochettino down, and revealed to Tottenham’s official website that he only found out he was playing on the morning of the game – and shared the words Pochettino gave him after the full time whistle, centred around being ready to play at all times.
“Just today, this morning,” said Gazzaniga. “I saw Michel last night, he wasn’t very good, so I was mentally ready, so when Toni told me this morning that I had to play, I was ready from last night. I tried to be calm, do easy things, don’t try to do extra things.”
“I spoke with the gaffer after the game, and he said ‘you have to be ready, because the football doesn’t wait for anybody’…so you have to be ready for every moment,” he added.
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