Spurs 'needed this type of performance' - Conte relieved after beating Palace

Antonio Conte thinks Tottenham 'needed this type of performance' as they won for the first time in three games by beating Crystal Palace 4-0.

Spurs headed into Wednesday's game after a 2-2 draw with Brentford and a 2-0 home loss to Aston Villa, with questions over Conte's future surfacing after he was seemed to publicly question the direction of the club.

But a brace from Harry Kane and goals from Matt Doherty and Son Heung-min gave Spurs an emphatic victory at Selhurst Park, putting them within two points of the Premier League top four.

Conte was relieved after the match to end his winless run and collect three valuable points, telling reporters: "There are times when you need that kind of performance.

"It was important. Three points, [we] don't concede a goal. It wasn't easy. Playing against Crystal Palace away is not easy. They beat us last season 3 -0 [at Selhurst Park]. [It's] a really tough ground to play.

"I have a lot of reasons to be happy, especially for the young players. We are facing a difficult situation with injured players in particular. Seeing that you can count on them makes me happy. It's also important because we can create competition."

Kane's brace took him to 264 goals for Spurs, less than two after equaling Jimmy Greaves as the club's top scorer.

Conte highlighted the striker's leadership as one of his best attributes, saying: "We're talking about a truly world-class striker and he's going to break that record with goals.

"For us, he is an important reference. Especially in times when you know Harry is there, ready to fight and solve the situation with goals and assists.

"We must continue on this path and face every situation, negative and positive, with a lot of character.

"Hopefully soon we can have the whole squad and it will be very important to face Arsenal and Manchester City with all our players and then we can see our true level."

Bryan Gil impressed against Palace in what was only his third Premier League appearance this season, after coming under fire for a sub-par performance against Villa.

Conte has high hopes for the 21-year-old, saying: "It was important. We are talking about a player born to play football. He understands football so quickly, he is so smart.

"This league is so difficult. Quality, you have to be fast and have stamina. He has that and you also have to be strong physically. Gil since last season has improved in this aspect.”< /p>