Tottenham Hotspur have gone five points clear at the top of the Premier League for the first time in their history following a hard-fought 2-1 win at Crystal Palace.
An own goal from Joel Ward and a Son Heung-min strike extended Spurs' unbeaten start to the season to 10 matches and increased their lead over champions Manchester City.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Man City
MCI
|
38 | +62 | 91 |
| 2 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
38 | +62 | 89 |
| 3 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
38 | +45 | 82 |
| 4 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
38 | +15 | 68 |
How the match unfolded
Prior to kick-off, a minute’s applause was held in tribute to Sir Bobby Charlton and Everton chairman Bill Kenwright CBE, who both passed away in the last week.
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Spurs dominated the opening half with 72 per cent possession, but Ange Postecoglou's side failed to record a shot on target for the first time this season in the opening 45 minutes of a match.
However, the visitors were rewarded for their persistence with the opening goal on 53 minutes.
A low cross from James Maddison flashed across the box and was inadvertently turned into his own net by Palace captain Ward.
In his 500th match in charge of English clubs in all competitions, Roy Hodgson watched on as his side twice came close to equalising, first through Odsonne Edouard and then Marc Guehi, who headed wide of the far post.
But it was Spurs who doubled their advantage on 66 minutes when after a sweeping passing move, substitute Brennan Johnson squared for Son to tap in his eighth Premier League goal of the season, one behind leading scorer Erling Haaland.
Palace pulled a goal back in the fourth minute of stoppage time through Jordan Ayew, who chested the ball before brilliantly volleying beyond Guglielmo Vicario.
But Spurs held firm to earn a fourth successive league win, moving them on to 26 points from their 10 matches.
And to cap off a perfect evening, Spurs welcomed back Rodrigo Bentancur after his first appearance since suffering a cruciate ligament injury in February this year.
See: Bentancur - I'm finally back and I couldn't be happier
Palace, who are without a victory in their last three contests, are 11th with 12 points.
Four more matches on Saturday
In the first of four Saturday fixtures, Chelsea welcome Brentford in a west London derby at Stamford Bridge, which kicks off at 12:30 BST.
At 15:00 BST, Arsenal entertain Sheffield United and Burnley visit AFC Bournemouth in a huge match at the bottom of the table, before Wolverhampton Wanderers host Newcastle United at 17:30 BST.