It was only on Monday night when Ange Postecoglou declared that Tottenham had played their “worst 45 minutes of the season”, but by Friday there was perhaps an immediate contender to surpass it. Frustrated by Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park and without a shot on target, Tottenham went into the break with a problem to solve. But, by the end, as Spurs picked and probed and then found a way through, the struggles of the first half were a distant memory. After all, Tottenham are now five points clear at the top of the Premier League.
A fourth consecutive victory came courtesy of a Joel Ward own goal and an eighth of the season from Son Heung-min and, eventually, it felt thoroughly deserved. Against a deep and disciplined Palace defence, Tottenham required patience but Postecoglou’s team stuck to their plan. Even with talk of Spurs emerging as title contenders, they kept the calm heads required to find the breakthrough. When the hosts finally offered something of their own after Jordan Ayew’s excellent volley in the the 94th minute, Tottenham were able to see out a nervy end as well.
