Right, so today I got this itch to dig into Crystal Palace and Tottenham’s history, yeah? Wanted to map out their big moments properly. Figured I’d just start typing stuff out and see where it leads. Real human-style research, not some fancy polished thing.
Where I Started
Okay, first things first: opened up my ancient laptop. Typed “Crystal Palace Tottenham history” into the search bar – pretty basic stuff. Got flooded with stats sites and news archives. Honestly felt a bit overwhelmed. Knew I needed specific moments, not just numbers. Searched for “big matches palace spurs”. That seemed better.
Stumbled into fan forums almost immediately. Loads of old threads where supporters argued about red cards and dodgy penalties years later. Proper rivalry stuff, the fans are still screaming at the screen. Started jotting down years mentioned most: 1990, something weird in 2016, that crazy comeback… 2023? Memory was fuzzy.
Actually Finding the Beef
Went deeper, clicked on old news reports. Found this bonkers FA Cup semi-final replay back in April 1990. Remembered hearing about it vaguely. Palace won 3-2 after extra time? Looked it up: yeah, Gary O’Reilly scored early for Palace, Gazza equalized, then Lineker put Spurs ahead… only for Palace to nick two goals late! Went from leading to losing real quick for Spurs. Proper cup drama.
Fast forward, my brain dredged up January 2016. Searched “Harry Kane double penalty”. Oh man, yeah! Spurs got awarded a penalty. Kane missed it, bounced back off the post… but the ref blew for encroachment (Palace players ran in too early). Got a retake. Kane scored the second time! Palace fans absolutely furious. Can still picture Pardew’s face on the touchline, he looked ready to explode.
Then May 2021 popped into my head. Searched “Bale Palace comeback”. Oh. Right. Spurs were losing 1-0 with just over ten minutes left. Then Bale scored. Then they scored again. And again. Absolutely stole it 4-1 at the death! Palace collapsed completely. Just brutal for their fans watching that happen live.
More Than Just Goals
Reading the forums, kept seeing Spurs fans calling Palace their “bogey team”. That stuck. Palace might not always win, but they make it really hard for Spurs. Found stuff about fan arguments too – proper needle between them, especially in the South London/North London divide thing Spurs have with Arsenal. Palace kinda get dragged into that Spurs vs. Arsenal noise.
Quick list of the proper headline chaos:
- 1990: Palace win that mad FA Cup semi-final replay 3-2 after Spurs totally bottled their lead.
- 2016: Harry Kane misses a penalty only to get a retake because Palace players ran in. Scores it. Absolute scenes and rage.
- 2021: Spurs losing 1-0 with 10 mins left? No problem. Score FOUR goals after the 75th minute, Gareth Bale starts it, Palace implodes. Finished 4-1.
Finishing Up
Spent way longer than planned on this. Went down rabbit holes about managers (remember Tim Sherwood for Spurs? Woof.) and transfer spats. Almost fell into the trap of who signed who from whom ages ago. Had to pull myself back.
Honest truth? This “timeline” thing is messy. My notes are all over the place. Highlight videos helped piece it together visually. That 1990 match footage looks ancient! And hearing the roar when Bale scored in 2021… gives you chills, even knowing Palace got shafted later.
Walked away thinking: Palace are definitely a proper pain for Spurs. Not always the biggest club rivalry, but always brings fireworks and pure agony for one set of fans. Spent my whole afternoon on this. Probably missed some fights, sure. But those three games? That’s the messy heart of it. Now someone please remind Spurs fans that Arsenal exist…
