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Ange Postecoglou was pleased Premier League leaders Tottenham passed their latest exam with a hard-fought 2-1 win at Crystal Palace and was in no mood to stop fans dreaming of a title challenge. Spurs moved five points clear at the summit after they recovered from a sluggish first half at Selhurst Park to score twice in 13 second-half minutes. An own-goal from Joel Ward broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute when he deflected James Maddison’s cross beyond Palace goalkeeper Sam Johnstone and it was 2-0 soon after when Tottenham captain Son Heung-min steered home after Brennan Johnson’s assist. Jordan Ayew reduced the deficit for Palace in the fourth minute of stoppage-time, but Spurs held on to extend their unbeaten top-flight run to 10 matches and move five clear of Manchester City and Arsenal, who play Manchester United and Sheffield United respectively across the weekend. “Let them dream. That’s what being a football supporter is all about. It’s fair to say this lot have suffered a fair bit, so I’m certainly not going to dampen that,” Postecoglou said. “Top of the table is great and the results are great but it’s more in the manner we’re doing it. Pretty much from the first game we’ve had all sorts of different challenges we’ve had to overcome. “Every time there has been a real focus and clear-headedness about the group collectively to deal with that. We prep them for their exam at the weekend, but we don't know what the questions are going to be. They've got to work them out themselves Ange Postecoglou “That has been a really pleasing thing and because they’re getting rewards from that, then that gives us the opportunity to accelerate the growth of giving them more tools out there to help them for whatever we need to overcome. “I thought tonight was going to be a real difficult game for us. Coming here, Palace’s result last week, it’s a tight ground, they’d only conceded three goals in the four games so far and how were the lads going to cope with the fact we weren’t going to create as many chances as we had been? “I really liked the way we worked through that as a group.” After returning to the Premier League summit with a 2-0 win over Fulham on Monday, Spurs struggled in the first half at Selhurst Park and were indebted to fine early saves from Guglielmo Vicario to deny Ayew and Odsonne Edouard. Postecoglou, who had lambasted his side for their second-half showing earlier in the week, introduced Emerson Royal for Ben Davies at the break and watched Ward put into his own net from Maddison’s cross to open the scoring. It was 2-0 when Son fired home for his eighth goal of the campaign following Johnson’s smart pass, his first assist since a £45million deadline-day transfer from Nottingham Forest. While Ayew managed to reduce the deficit – in the fourth minute of stoppage time after a lengthy VAR check – Tottenham stood firm to claim a fourth-straight win and show another side with a dogged defensively display, despite enjoying more than 70 per cent possession. Postecoglou added: “I have always felt that matchdays are about the players. What we try to do on a daily basis is give them the tools to find the solutions. “We prep them for their exam at the weekend, but we don’t know what the questions are going to be. They’ve got to work them out themselves. “In an exam you are not asking anybody for help. You have to work it out yourself and hopefully what we’ve given them is the tools.” Palace boss Roy Hodgson was disappointed to suffer a second-consecutive defeat and admitted his substitutes weakened his team. “I thought it was an aggressive and quite-controlled first half from our side, but of course the first goal then produces a second,” he said. “That is when we start putting players on the field, players who have not really played with the first team, Jes (Rak-Sakyi), (Naouirou) Ahamada, (Matheus) Franca and we lost the intensity we were able to do in the first half. “In the end it became easy for them (Tottenham) to see the game through.” Read More Kyle Walker says Manchester City will be wary of Marcus Rashford in derby Wolves v Chelsea on Christmas Eve means ‘unhappy wife’ for Mauricio Pochettino Tyson Fury: Ngannou fight like Djokovic facing table tennis player at Wimbledon Matthew Mott wary of ‘raging favourites’ as England look to avoid further shame Pep Guardiola condemns Man City fans who sang offensive Sir Bobby Charlton chant Mikel Arteta calls for increased squad sizes as Arsenal suffer fresh injury blow

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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. How the Spurs fans in the corner of Selhurst Park would have soaked in the scenes the followed, as Postecoglou and his players applauded the travelling supporters after extending the club’s best start to a league campaign since 1960/61. It has been a dream first two months of the season and Tottenham have taken advantage of what has been in front of them: namely a favourable fixture list and the absence of European fixtures. Here, that was added to by a meek performance from the Eagles and a calamity from Ward. But, one way or another, it has all combined to leave Tottenham five points clear. “Tonight was always going to be difficult but I liked how the players handled it,” Postecoglou said. “They were patient, persistent in finding the gaps. It was a different challenge for us tonight and I Iiked how we went about it.” It took until the 53rd minute, but Tottenham eventually found a way through Palace, even as the visitors took the lead before managing to have a shot on target. It came thanks to a disastrous moment from the Palace captain, as Ward was caught at the back post and awkwardly diverted James Maddison’s cross into his own net. The source of the breakthrough, though, did not come as a surprise. Rather, as Postecoglou said later, it came through discipline and trust in the Australian’s approach. All game, Tottenham had looked to play around the sides of Roy Hodgson’s stubborn and compact defensive shape, attempting to create overloads to break Palace down. Maddison drifted wide to combine with Richarlison on the left, but it was the bursts of Pape Matar Sarr and the guile of Dejan Kulusevski that appeared more threatening on the right. Eventually, as Pedro Porro slipped Sarr through and it broke to Maddison, Ward provided the finishing touch to the fizzed delivery across the face of goal. Tottenham’s second came via the same route, even if the finisher was more familiar. Son added another first-time finish to his collection this season as Spurs again took to the sides to cut Palace apart. After Sarr’s switch, Maddison’s quick two touches released the overlapping Brennan Johnson - who had replaced Richarlison moments before. Johnson took a moment before pulling the cross back to Son and the Spurs captain, now with eight Premier League goals this season, was typically clinical with his left foot. And so, after a first half where Tottenham struggled to create any clear openings, the three points felt secured within the space of 11 second-half minutes. Palace offered very little after going behind, Hodgson’s side refusing to open up or press Tottenham to the growing anger of the home supporters. Even though Tottenham’s Guglielmo Vicario further enhanced his reputation as perhaps the standout goalkeeper in the Premier League this season with two early stops, first denying Jordan Ayew and then Odsonne Edouard, Palace’s best chance without either Eberechi Eze or Michael Olise seemed to be holding out for 0-0. There was nothing surprising about Palace’s approach from kick-off but it did enough to briefly halt Tottenham’s momentum under the Friday night lights of Selhurst Park. Hodgson’s side, and a defence that shipped four goals away to Newcastle last weekend, were set up to be awkward and difficult against the leaders, a sign perhaps of the force Tottenham have already become under Postecoglou. At first, Tottenham struggled to open up the gaps and it said a lot about the growing importance of left-back Destiny Udogie. Ruled out due to injury, the impressive 20-year-old left a void that Ben Davies never looked comfortable trying to fill. Udgoie has been a revelation in this fresh Spurs side by impressing in the half left-back, half number 10 role that Postecoglou demands. Even without the Italian, Postecoglou did not compromise his approach as Davies stepped in, but the 30-year-old looked lost as he looked to drift ahead of Maddison when Spurs were in possession. Davies’ first start of the Premier League season lasted all of 47 minutes, replaced by Emerson Royal at half-time. Postecoglou needed an answer and the introduction of Johnson on the wing brought an improvement on Richarlison, who continues to look short of confidence when in attacking positions. If Richarlison and Maddison never quite looked in sync, that changed with the arrival of the Welshman. While Tottenham’s opening goal was fortuitous, the second was sharp and brought a rare moment of class to the contest. It was considerably more than the little Palace were able to muster, until Ayew lashed in an excellent volley in the 94th minute: by the time the goal was eventually awarded after a VAR check for handball, it gave Tottenham five more minutes to see out. Palace did have one last chance after a cross to the back post fell to Matheus Franca in the box. But the substitute sliced the chance wide and high, Spurs breathed a sigh of relief and in the corner, the party finally could begin. Read More Wolves v Chelsea on Christmas Eve means ‘unhappy wife’ for Mauricio Pochettino Ange Postecoglou: Spurs a big club who should challenge for trophies every year There’s a long way to go – Ange Postecoglou staying grounded despite Spurs form Sean Longstaff pinching himself after change in fortunes at Newcastle It helps a lot – Dejan Kulusevski says Spurs must make absence from Europe count Newcastle boss Eddie Howe praises ‘ultimate professional’ Jacob Murphy

Premier League leaders Tottenham recovered from a sluggish first half to win 2-1 at Crystal Palace and extend their lead at the summit to five points. Ange Postecoglou’s side found life tough at Selhurst Park initially, but moved through the gears in the second period and went ahead when Joel Ward put through his own net in the 53rd minute following James Maddison’s centre. Captain Son Heung-min made the points safe 13 minutes later with a close-range finish for his eighth goal this season to ensure high-flying Spurs extended their unbeaten top-flight start to 10 matches. Jordan Ayew struck late on for Palace, but victory moved Tottenham five points clear of Manchester City, who visit rivals Manchester United on Sunday, and while that gap is unlikely to remain come the end of the weekend, this latest test passed by Postecoglou’s new-look team will only increase the optimism growing in N17. The Australian made two changes from Monday night with left-back Destiny Udogie unavailable due to muscle tightness, which resulted in Ben Davies making his first league start this term, while Yves Bissouma returned to the starting line-up following his one-match ban. Spurs were poor during the opening exchanges against a Palace side eager to respond to their 4-0 thrashing at Newcastle with Guglielmo Vicario twice called into action early on. Vicario first denied Ayew’s low effort in the sixth-minute before he produced a smart save to thwart the snapshot of Odsonne Edouard, who was leading the line for the hosts. Hodgson would have been pleased with the response to Palace’s thrashing in the North East after Will Hughes and Joel Ward snapped into tackles with Micky van de Ven and Maddison. Maddison’s influence had been limited, but he sliced a tough half-volley chance into the Holmesdale Stand before Richarlison dragged wide from outside the area. The opening half an hour in south London had been stop-start, which suited Palace who forced four corners in a row towards the end of the first 45, but Tottenham survived to walk off at half-time level. Postecoglou had lambasted the second half showing against Fulham and would have been equally frustrated with this display after Spurs failed to have a shot on target despite more than 70 per cent possession. He reacted with Emerson Royal introduced for Davies and while the visitors’ wait for a first shot on target continued, they still managed to break the deadlock in the 53rd minute. Tottenham’s goal came from their right side with Pedro Porro playing in Pape Sarr, who cut back for Maddison and his smashed effort across goal bounced off Ward and into the Palace net. It was tough on Palace but Hodgson’s side immediately searched for an equaliser and Edouard had a shot deflected over by Cristian Romero. Marc Guehi headed wide from the resulting corner before Postecoglou made further changes with Brennan Johnson and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg brought on. Johnson needed barely two minutes to make his mark with a first assist for the club since a £45million deadline day move from Nottingham Forest. The substitute started the move with a cushioned header into Maddison, who passed back into Johnson and he smartly recycled the ball to Son and the Spurs captain rifled home from close-range in the 66th minute. After Tottenham switched off at 2-0 up against Fulham, there was little chance of a repeat and Postecoglou sent on Rodrigo Bentancur for his first appearance since he suffered anterior cruciate ligament damage to his left knee in February. Bentancur’s arrival on the pitch was met with big cheers by the away fans, but the travelling support endured a nervy finale. Ayew reduced the deficit four minutes into stoppage time when he controlled Joachim Anderson’s cross and fired beyond Vicario, which was eventually awarded after a lengthy VAR check. Palace pushed for a last-gasp leveller and forced several set-pieces before substitute Matheus Franca sliced wide under pressure from Porro to confirm a fourth consecutive win for leaders Spurs. Read More Kyle Walker says Manchester City will be wary of Marcus Rashford in derby Wolves v Chelsea on Christmas Eve means ‘unhappy wife’ for Mauricio Pochettino Tyson Fury: Ngannou fight like Djokovic facing table tennis player at Wimbledon Matthew Mott wary of ‘raging favourites’ as England look to avoid further shame Pep Guardiola condemns Man City fans who sang offensive Sir Bobby Charlton chant Mikel Arteta calls for increased squad sizes as Arsenal suffer fresh injury blow

Mauricio Pochettino empathises with supporters angry about the Premier League’s decision to move Chelsea’s trip to Wolves to Christmas Eve, admitting it has thrown his festive plans and anniversary celebrations with his wife into chaos. The league confirmed on Thursday that the fixture, which has been pushed back 24 hours to accommodate TV coverage, will be the first played on December 24 since Manchester United played Leeds in 1995, a move that has drawn a backlash from fans. Scheduled for a 1pm kick-off, it could leave supporters struggling to make travel arrangements with train timetables typically amended or curtailed the day before Christmas, while there are also concerns it will impact time supporters traditionally spend with family. Pochettino is set to be doubly affected by the move, as not only is it Argentinian custom to begin Christmas celebrations late on December 24, the previous day also marks his and his wife’s 31st wedding anniversary – which he will now spend travelling to Wolverhampton. Despite not being consulted by the league he conceded that the club has little choice but to go along, but backed objections by supporters who have spoken out. “It’s a little bit strange but we need to accept the rules of the Premier League, that we need to go there and to play,” said Pochettino. “(In Argentina) we celebrate on the night of the 24th. At 12 o’clock on the night we start to celebrate Christmas. More than the 25th because you’re asleep nearly all day. Here it’s different because you celebrate on the 25th with the family. “I need to see things in a different way. For sure our fans are not happy but we need to accept this new era in football. “(The Premier League) didn’t ask us. They wanted some meeting with me and all the coaches one week before the season. I said I’m more than happy to share time with you, but it’s better if you prepare the meeting before the end of the season to prepare the next season. “If they ask me I will give my opinion, but at the moment we are not involved in the decisions.” He added: “I don’t know what to do (with my wife). I need to find some ideas to compensate. (Search online for) ‘unhappy wife’.” The Wolves game is the first of three in seven days for Chelsea over the Christmas period, with Crystal Palace due at Stamford Bridge on the evening of December 27 before visiting Luton on December 30. The Palace game has been moved from Boxing Day in order to accommodate the controversial Christmas Eve fixture. Pochettino reiterated that supporters’ concerns must be paramount in scheduling decisions. “We play and we work and all that we are doing is for our fans,” he said. “Without fans, football (is nothing). We need to protect, and to care, and to look after our fans. “Of course I agree with them, that I am not happy if they are not happy. It’s common sense. I can understand. “I don’t know what is behind it. I don’t know why. No one explained. I cannot tell. I hope it’s one time and never again, but we’ll see what happens. “People love football in England and they are going to be there. Our fans are going to be there supporting the team. But I don’t know if it’s going to be a regular situation.” Asked whether the club would offer a new contract to Conor Gallagher – who has captained the side in the absence of injured pair Reece James and Ben Chilwell – Pochettino likened the situation to the balancing act he now faces on the home front. “It’s like how we were talking about my wife,” he said. “It’s about to match and to feel good being together. It’s like a marriage with the club. They both need to feel good, then you can drive at a good deal. “He is a player that is doing fantastic. He’s an amazing player and we’re so happy with the way he is doing things.” Read More Kyle Walker says Manchester City will be wary of Marcus Rashford in derby Tottenham extend lead at top of Premier League with victory at Crystal Palace Lauren Hemp effort enough as England edge Nations League victory over Belgium Tyson Fury: Ngannou fight like Djokovic facing table tennis player at Wimbledon Matthew Mott wary of ‘raging favourites’ as England look to avoid further shame Pep Guardiola condemns Man City fans who sang offensive Sir Bobby Charlton chant

Manchester City defender Kyle Walker has warned that his England team-mate Marcus Rashford remains an opponent to be feared. The Manchester United striker has been in poor form this season and has scored just one goal for the club heading into Sunday’s derby against City at Old Trafford. It is a far cry from last term when the 25-year-old netted 30 goals in all competitions, including the winner in the corresponding Premier League fixture against City. Walker said: “I think Marcus has shown over the years that he’s the sort of player who can create problems for any side if they don’t match him. “He’s been important for both United and England since he was a teenager because of the threat he offers to any team he’s in. He’s got a lot of different qualities and we know he can be dangerous at the weekend.” Rashford’s decisive 82nd-minute strike on City’s last trip across town in January capped a controversial fightback by the home side. United had cancelled out Jack Grealish’s opener just four minutes earlier through Bruno Fernandes despite Rashford having been in an offside position during the build-up. After bouncing back spectacularly by winning the treble – and beating United in the FA Cup final – Walker insists City are not motivated by revenge. “I don’t think we think like that,” said the right-back. “Last season is done, we lost at Old Trafford and went on to win the treble. Ultimately that’s what matters. “Of course this game means a lot but it’s part of a bigger picture and, OK we lost last season and the luck didn’t go in our favour, but we bounced back from that and did what we did. “We want to win the game because of what it means and because ultimately it will help us in trying to win the Premier League again. We don’t need to think beyond that. “We’ve had some great games against them in recent years and our focus is on giving the fans something to enjoy again on Sunday.” City are in a strong position despite a blip before the recent international break, when they lost to Wolves and Arsenal, and lacking the intensity they showed at the end of last season. If it was hard to get motivated then we wouldn’t have won three Premier League in a row Kyle Walker Walker said: “People keep saying how hard it must be to get motivated because of what we achieved last season but we’re all competitors who want to win. We’ve shown that year after year. “If it was hard to get motivated then we wouldn’t have won three Premier Leagues in a row. “We go into every game wanting to win, for ourselves, for this club and it’s the reason we’ve been so successful. That doesn’t go away just because we did something special last season.” Read More Wolves v Chelsea on Christmas Eve means ‘unhappy wife’ for Mauricio Pochettino Tottenham extend lead at top of Premier League with victory at Crystal Palace Lauren Hemp effort enough as England edge Nations League victory over Belgium Tyson Fury: Ngannou fight like Djokovic facing table tennis player at Wimbledon Matthew Mott wary of ‘raging favourites’ as England look to avoid further shame Pep Guardiola condemns Man City fans who sang offensive Sir Bobby Charlton chant

Lauren Hemp’s first-half strike was all it took for England to secure a vital 1-0 Nations League group-stage victory over Belgium in front of 28,321 at Leicester’s King Power Stadium. Belgium had entered the contest as Group A1 leaders but by the final whistle they had been knocked off the top spot by the Netherlands, while the Lionesses moved up to second place. The first of two October legs with the Red Flames also marked a return to England action for midfielder Fran Kirby, who came on as a substitute in the 65th minute after more than a year out due to a series of issues, including the knee injury and subsequent surgery that kept her out of contention for the World Cup. England need to finish top of the group to progress in the tournament, which also serves as a qualifier for next summer’s Paris Olympics. Both teams entered wearing black armbands in honour of England World Cup winner Sir Bobby Charlton, who died on Saturday morning. Niamh Charles – one of three changes for Sarina Wiegman – got herself involved early, linking up with Alex Greenwood before cutting into the penalty area, where a flurry of chances for the hosts ended with Chelsea defender Charles sending an effort over the crossbar. It was not long before the Lionesses were back on the prowl, Hemp forcing a quick one-handed reaction from Belgium goalkeeper Nicky Evrard, the ball bouncing threateningly loose from the one-handed stop but – to the relief of the visitors – away from any white shirts. The Red Flames finally broke free and won a corner, initially handled by England, but the ball remained inside the Lionesses’ half where it was quickly collected by Tessa Wullaert, who floated a cross into Justine Vanhaevermaet. The Everton midfielder connected and forced a save from Mary Earps, who spilled the stop and the ball clipped the post before she was able to cradle the rebound. England soon took the lead following a narrow miss from Millie Bright, who connected with Chloe Kelly’s corner and pinged a backwards header off the right post, but the ball took a favourable bounce into the path of Hemp, who turned it past Evrard with her left foot. Both sides had further first-half chances, with Earps forced into a precautionary dive when Wullaert’s effort deflected off Bright’s lower leg before Kassandra Missipo fired over. England missed an opportunity to make it two when Alessia Russo could not quite connect with Charles’ delivery across the face of goal and another late chance for the Arsenal summer signing landed squarely in Evrard’s arms for a simple stop. The Lionesses began the second half aggressively as Kelly’s cross deflected off Tine De Caigny in the area and into the path of Russo, who sent an effort over. Earps elicited a roar when she leapt to her left to deny substitute Sarah Wijnants, but while the hosts enjoyed double their opponents’ three attempts on target as the encounter entered its 70th minute, they still had just Hemp’s opener to show for it. Wiegman made two substitutions, swapping Russo for Rachel Daly and replacing Ella Toone with Kirby as England pushed for more, next through Greenwood, who aimed her free-kick for the top-right corner where it was tipped away by Evrard. The Lionesses survived a scramble in front of Earps and Wiegman made another change, bringing on Jess Park for Kelly as the 85th minute approached. England staged another late surge and perhaps should have scored more but – in the end – it was just Hemp who made it count. Read More Tyson Fury: Ngannou fight like Djokovic facing table tennis player at Wimbledon Matthew Mott wary of ‘raging favourites’ as England look to avoid further shame Pep Guardiola condemns Man City fans who sang offensive Sir Bobby Charlton chant Mikel Arteta calls for increased squad sizes as Arsenal suffer fresh injury blow ‘High chance’ Sandro Tonali plays for Newcastle this weekend despite 10-month ban Mike McMeeken’s move ‘out of comfort zone’ to Catalans earned England recall

Before the full Saturday slate of Week 9 college football action, there is one scheduled for Friday, Oct. 27, and it will be between two American Athletic Conference teams.