Despite having the better of much of the first-half and a considerable number of chances in the second – enjoying more shots and touches in the opposition box than their visitors – Palace found themselves on the wrong end of four second-half goals from Spurs.
“It was a tough night,” Vieira said following the game. “To concede four goals, I think that doesn’t reflect the quality of the game we played today.
“I think we deserved more, especially in the first-half with those situations and chances we created, and of course, when they scored that first goal, it became really difficult for us.
“When those [Tottenham] players have a little bit of space, they can hurt any team. The way they managed the game and the way they managed the difficult period they had showed a huge difference between the two teams.
“Their [greater] experience was a massive factor in the game today.”
The likes of Jordan Ayew, Wilfried Zaha and Michael Olise all came close for Palace on numerous occasions throughout the 90 minutes, but no breakthrough could be found as Spurs offered a sharper edge in front of goal.
“I think we had situations,” Vieira continued. “I think we weren’t clinical enough.
“We didn’t take our chances well enough. We had a couple of [possible] passes to put players in a better position to score. I think our final ball in the last third wasn’t clinical enough, and [Hugo] Lloris made some important saves.
“To me, we were brave, we showed quality and at the same time, the fact that we conceded four goals shows that there are a lot of things we need to improve.
“We have young players in the squad in our team and that kind of game has to be managed better. The experience will allow them to be strong and to score those goals in periods where they are dominant.
“I believe the 4-0 is hard for us, for my players, and for the club, but we still have a lot to take from it.”