Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou called for more composure after his side slipped to a 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace.
It was a first victory of the Premier League season for the hosts, with Jean-Philippe Mateta’s 31st-minute goal proving decisive at Selhurst Park.
Postecoglou handed 17-year-old Mikey Moore a first Premier League start, but admitted he was not pleased by how his side as a whole seemed to lose their way and let the home team dictate the encounter.
He said: “It was a game that turned into a bit of a battle, a lot of stop-starting and standing around, and we didn’t deal with that really well at all. We didn’t get to grips with the nature of what was transpiring out there.
“They dealt with it better than we did. It was just a game where we needed to stay composed, not falling through the trap of trying to play the game that ultimately Palace wanted to play.
“It was battle after battle, duels, stop-starts and we needed to be a lot more clear-headed about how we deal with that.”
He added: “I just think we directed our frustration the wrong way.”
Captain Son Heung-Min sat out Spurs’ midweek Europa League victory over Dutch side AZ Alkmaar and was again not involved on Sunday.
Postecoglou was pragmatic when asked about Moore’s performance, replying: “It wasn’t really a great game for anybody out there, from our perspective.
“But Mikey, every time he is out there, I think he will be a better player, and the more we can get him out there in that sort of environment, then he’ll keep thriving.
“I’m sure he would have learned a lot today, but the kind of team we want to be, the way we want to play, we need to be a lot more composed in the way we deal with certain things to not let the game get out of control.”
Three points at home meant the Eagles avoided slipping to their worst-ever Premier League start, the first time since 1992-93 they had not tasted victory at least once after eight top-flight matches.
Mateta’s goal began after some good work from Colombia international Daniel Munoz, who won the ball after some loose defending from Spurs deep inside their own half before crossing to Ebere Eze in the 18-yard box.
It was a deft touch from Eze that set up the game’s only goal, a low finish from the Frenchman who rewarded boss Oliver Glasner’s decision to hand him the start.
Some felt Glasner’s position was beginning to look at risk, but the Austrian flatly shut that idea down.
“I always felt quite comfortable with my job, always very close to my sporting director and to my chairman, so I wasn’t really concerned,” he said.
“What we showed today, We showed this courage, we showed the intensity, we showed the bravery, how we pressed them. Maybe this was what we were a little bit missing.
“But today, all credit to the players, how they dealt with the situation, because everybody was asked (about not winning) and they stayed cool. They always had a good mood, very good training week, and that’s why we all got the reward.
“The biggest difference was today we played with bravery.”
