THE NOTEBOOK: It’s more of a slow burn than a belter, Tottenham avoid Yves Bissouma blow – but fans continue to defy Premier League’s policy on Israel and Palestine flags

• Tottenham beat Crystal Palace 2-1 to extend their lead at the top of the table 
• Spurs are five points clear of second place Man City heading into the weekend 
• KIERAN GILL looks at some of the things you might have missed from the game 

Tottenham extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to five points on Friday with a 2-1 victory against Crystal Palace. 

The Eagles nullified their opponents for the first half of the clash before Joel Ward inadvertently deflected a James Maddison cross into his own net.

Heung-Min Son kept up his fine form to add a second soon after, before Jordan Ayew ensured it would be a nervy finish as he pulled one back in injury time after a long VAR check.

Ultimately, Ange Postecoglou’s side held firm and ensured they will spend at least the weekend at the top of the table. 

Mail Sport’s KIERAN GILL was at Selhurst Park and looks at some things you might have missed from Friday’s match. 

Tottenham extended their lead at the top of the table with a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace

It’s more of a slow burn than a belter 

Attack. Be fast. Be ferocious. Don’t overthink. Just do it. Win the ball. Use it. Play it into feet. Move. Push. Shoot. Score. That is Ange Postecoglou’s philosophy. 

It’s supposed to be fast and furious. But this was a slow burner of a match as Roy Hodgson’s Crystal Palace were stubborn in the extreme, with Jordan Ayew and Jeffrey Schlupp tucking in from the wings to flood the midfield. 

It meant Tottenham’s full backs found themselves swarmed when they tried to invert into that area, while James Maddison was likewise suffocated. 

Joel Ward’s own goal seemed to ease the pressure on the visitors as their second strike, scored by Heung-min Son, was a move full of swagger.

Ange Postecoglou’s attacking philosophy wasn’t quite on display in what was a slow burner

A happy return for Bentancur

Rodrigo Bentancur made his first appearance since February last night, having finally overcome his ACL injury. 

Son ordered the away support to celebrate his late arrival as a substitute and they obliged, cheering and singing his name in what was a nice moment.

Fans continue to defy Premier League’s policy on Israel and Palestine flags

The Premier League’s policy on Israeli and Palestinian flags – that they should be prohibited from stadiums – is still being defied. 

This match started with a moment’s silence. In the Crystal Palace end, there were Palestine flags. In the Tottenham end, Israel flags.

The Premier League’s policy on Israeli and Palestinian flags – that they should be prohibited from stadiums – is still being defied, with both flags on display throughout the match  

Winning ugly is a sign of champions

The great debate is whether Tottenham are legitimate title challengers. Well, a hallmark of champions is having the capacity to win, even when you are not playing particularly well. 

Spurs led 1-0 without having managed a single shot on target, thanks to Ward’s moment of madness.

Spurs avoid Bissouma suspension

If yellow carded here, Yves Bissouma would have been suspended for Tottenham’s next game against Chelsea. Despite the threat of that, Bissouma still threw himself around. 

His turnaround, from outcast under Antonio Conte to outstanding under Postecoglou, is why Spurs were wincing whenever he went into a challenge. 

They desperately wanted Bissouma’s services for that London derby and substituted him once they had their lead.

Spurs will have been delighted that the impressive Yves Bissouma didn’t pick up a yellow card

Kane not the only striker sold by Postecoglou

Harry Kane was not the first star striker to be sold by his club after Postecoglou’s arrival. 

It happened to Odsonne Edouard at Celtic, too. Postecoglou arrived in June 2021 and Edouard was sold to Crystal Palace in the August. 

Edouard was the cover star on Palace’s match-day programme last night but there was no mention of Postecoglou in his accompanying interview. 

He wanted to do his talking on the pitch, though struggled to prove a point to his old boss here.

Hodgson fails to mark milestone with a win

This was Hodgson’s 500th match in charge of English clubs. He lost his 100th (3-1 to Sunderland) and his 200th (3-1 to Tottenham), but won his 300th (1-0 against Huddersfield) and 400th (2-1 against West Ham). 

Sadly for Hodgson, he could not celebrate that milestone with a victory.

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