Soldado scores as Spurs beats Crystal Palace

With all the rumours surrounding Bale and with the him being on the sidelines AVB had the tough task to unite the players and they took three points from their first match of the season with a hard-fought 1-0 win over newly promoted Crystal Palace.

The home side matched their bigger opponents for most of the first half, despite not creating too much themselves, and the match was well poised at the break. Even in the second half, neither goalkeeper was called upon to make too many saves, with the only goal coming from the penalty spot. Aaron Lennon's run down the flank ended in a hand ball by Dean Moxey, and debutant Roberto Soldado buried the resulting penalty.

A late flurry of pressure from Palace after a triple-change by manager Ian Holloway gave some hope to the home fans, but Hugo Lloris was in excellent form to close out most of the danger before it resulted in clear shooting opportunities.

Stats

Shots: 5-18
On target: 3-3
Possession: 42%-58%

watch the highlights Passing: 70%-85%