Tottenham Hotspur have opened up a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table courtesy of a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Friday night.
Palace were the better side in the first half, but an own goal from Joel Ward saw Spurs take the lead in the 53rd minute, before Son Heung-min doubled their advantage in the 66th minute.
The Eagles had one back in the fourth minute of added time at the end of the 90 through Jordan Ayew but could not find a second as they suffered a narrow defeat.
Ange Postecoglou's side have now won eight and drawn two of their 10 league games this season to collect 26 points, which has left them five points ahead of the reigning champions Manchester City in second.
Ayew had the first shot of the match in the sixth minute, but his effort was kept out by Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who had to be alert to the danger.
Vicario then had to make an even better save in the seventh minute to deny Odsonne Edouard, with the striker finding space before releasing a powerful strike.
Tottenham's first sight of the Palace goal came in the 16th minute through a free kick in a brilliant position, but Yves Bissouma, who surprisingly took the set piece over James Maddison, sent the ball into the stands.
Maddison had a half-chance one minute later after a knockdown inside the box, but the England international could not keep his effort down on the half-volley.
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Joachim Andersen headed over the Spurs crossbar late in the first period, but it was a largely uneventful opening 45 minutes in terms of clear opportunities, with arguably the best work coming from Palace early on.
Tottenham had 72% of the possession in the opening 45 minutes but no shots on target, with their attacking players finding it difficult to get into the match for long spells.
Spurs took the lead in the 53rd minute of the match, largely against the run of play, with Ward turning a cross from Maddison into the back of his own net from close range.
Marc Guehi nodded a corner wide of the post down the other end, but Spurs had their second in the 66th minute through Son, who finished off an excellent move.
Maddison's clever pass found Brennan Johnson, and the substitute tucked the ball inside to pick out Son, with the South Korea international not passing up the chance to double his team's advantage.
There were eight minutes of additional time at Selhurst Park, and Palace had one back in the fourth of those through Ayew, with his spectacular effort flying into the back of the net, but the hosts were unable to register a second, with Matheus Franca passing up a good chance in the final moments, firing wide at the far post.
Tottenham will be looking to record a fifth straight league win when they welcome Chelsea on November 6, while Palace will be aiming to recover from the disappointing loss when they head to Burnley next Saturday.
Matt Law
