Crystal Palace not looking to blame Covid-19 cases and injuries for 3-0 loss at Tottenham

Osian Roberts didn’t believe the Covid-19 disruption was a significant factor in Crystal Palace’s 3-0 defeat by Tottenham Hotspur.

The Eagles could only name a matchday squad of 18 players with Eberechi Eze, Michael Olise, Christian Benteke, Luka Milivojevic, Nathaniel Clyne, James McArthur and Vicente Guaita all missing through a mixture of Covid-19 and injuries.

The Welsh assistant took charge of the Boxing Day fixture after manager Patrick Vieira also tested positive for the virus on Saturday night.

Palace were ripped apart by Antonio Conte’s side with goals from Harry Kane, Lucas Moura and Heung-Min Son condemning them to defeat. The South Londoners also failed to have a shot on target.

When asked how many Palace players were missing through testing positive for the virus, Roberts said: “I don’t know exactly how many were out with Covid. Some were returning with Covid, and we had injuries and so on.

“The preparation has gone very well from a coaching point of view, in our bubble, and focusing on the game. We’ve tried to get on with it the best we can

“This morning, we met at the hotel to prepare. Most of the time, we would do that the previous evening, but it’s difficult to do that these days with the situation as it is and with so much uncertainty.

“As a bubble, we do as we’re told, prepare the best we can, and we managed to do that this morning as we would normally before coming to the stadium.

“We’re professional. We have to adapt, adjust, sometimes at short notice. It’s something that we have to live with, and I’m sure there’ll be other rollercoaster weeks in the future.”