Facing a third London derby in as many weeks, Crystal Palace were only able to boast one point from their first two clashes with Chelsea and Brentford before making the journey to take on a rampant West Ham side just before the break.
Twice Palace fell behind to strikes from Pablo Fornals and Michail Antonio, but twice they clawed their way back into the game thanks to a second-half brace from Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher in a pulsating encounter at the London Stadium.
Still waiting for their first win of the season, the signs were positive for Patrick Vieira’s new-look Palace side in the capital, although the 14th-placed outfit must now face Spurs, Liverpool, Arsenal and Leicester City all in the space of five weeks.
An early EFL Cup exit to Watford did dampen Palace’s spirits somewhat, but having opened their account for the Premier League season at the third attempt, the Eagles will seek to end a poor run of league form which has seen them claim just two wins from their last 12 matches.
The Eagles will make history this week as the first Premier League side ever to open a season with four London derbies on the trot, but they can only boast five shots on target from their opening three encounters before they somehow attempt to break Tottenham’s defensive resolve.
There was certainly an element of fortune about Spurs’ gameweek three win over Watford – with Son Heung-min’s free kick evading everyone before nestling into the back of the net – but a third consecutive 1-0 triumph in the league is only a positive thing for Santo.
Having conducted their summer business with aplomb – all while convincing Harry Kane to put his Manchester City dream on hold – Spurs are reaping the rewards of their summer of change and are the only side in the division to have claimed maximum points from their opening three matches.
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Spurs’ perfect record sees them sitting pretty at the top of the pile – two points clear of the five sides currently sitting on seven points – and the Lilywhites have also secured a safe passage into the Europa Conference League group stages despite an early scare against Pacos de Ferreira.
French powerhouses Rennes await Spurs in their inaugural group-stage clash on Thursday night before the visit of Chelsea on September 19, so the trip to Palace may not rank all that high on Nuno’s priority list, but the visitors will not want to pass up the opportunity to steer further clear of their rivals.
Tottenham travel to Selhurst Park on a 12-game unbeaten streak against Palace in the Premier League – winning 10 of them – although the last two encounters at Selhurst Park have seen the two clubs shake hands on a 1-1 draw
