Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Peter Crouch has praised the performance of Lucas Moura during the 3-0 win against Crystal Palace yesterday afternoon.
The Brazilian was named in Antonio Conte’s starting eleven for the visit of the Eagles to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and rewarded the Italian with his selection.
Moura came close to opening the scoring just before the half hour mark when his close-range header from a Sergio Reguilon cross flashed across goal and missed the target.
Soon after, he was once again in on the action after he latched onto a good pass from Emerson Royal to show his pace down the right flank and flashed the ball across the penalty area for Harry Kane to sweep home.
Just two minutes later, he managed to get on the scoresheet when he leaped above Joachim Anderson to power a header into the back of the net from a Royal cross.
Palace had their backs to the wall in the second half following Wilfried Zaha’s dismissal before the break and were further punished on 75 minutes when Moura delivered his second assist of the game, with Heung-min Son the beneficiary.
Crouch was part of the BT Sport punditry panel and raised the question of why the 29-year-old has historically not impacted games to the same levels as Harry Kane and Heung-min Son.
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He told BT Sport 1 HD’s live television coverage (26/12; 17:01): “He played really well today. He’s the type of player you want to see do well because he brings energy, enthusiasm and today, he was involved in all three goals. Huge, huge part to play today.
“It’s about affecting games with him. We know he’s got talent, pace. But perhaps, his stats haven’t been top class along the lines of Son and Kane. But when he plays like this, you just think why aren’t they? He’s such a talented player, and a huge part of this team.”
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Lucas has certainly started to show more consistency with his performances following the arrival of Conte, with his pace proving to be a key asset not only in attack but also as part of his pressing role to defend from the front.
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