Tottenham continue to chase Chelsea with narrow win

Defeating Crystal Palace 1-0 thanks to the only goal of Christian Eriksen, "The Rooster" narrowed the gap with their rivals to four points.

Eriksen celebrates after scoring the decisive goal to bring victory to his team. Photo: Reuters.

Goal: Eriksen 78'.

Chelsea's 4-2 win over Southampton put the pressure on Tottenham, who needed three points at Crystal Palace to keep their title hopes alive. Mauricio Pochettino's side finally got their goal with Christian Eriksen scoring from 30 yards with 12 minutes remaining.

Crystal Palace have been in good form recently, beating Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool in their last five games, so Tottenham fans are worried that their favourite team will stumble at Selhurst Park and end their title dream.

That almost happened as Palace played a tight game, keeping Tottenham at bay for much of the game. Pochettino's men had few chances and were lucky to escape being down a man in the 34th minute when Victor Wanyama, already booked, brought down Andros Townsend dangerously but was overlooked by the referee.

Sakho had to leave the field on a stretcher after a knee sprain. Photo: Reuters.

Wanyama and Mousa Dembele were substituted at half-time. Pochettino brought on Son Heung-Min and Moussa Sissoko in the hope of improving the attacking front. But the turning point of the match came not from these changes but from a reluctant Palace substitution.

The hosts were forced to take off Mamadou Sakho just over 10 minutes into the second half when the Liverpool defender picked up a knee injury after trying to tackle Harry Kane. The loss left a gaping hole in the hosts' defence and Dele Alli almost took advantage when he volleyed wide from close range.

Tottenham created a one-sided game in the last 30 minutes of the match. Kane and Kyle Walker had chances but both missed. Palace organized the team very well without the ball and were strong in the disputes, allowing Tottenham to approach goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey's goal.

Palace were well organised and caused Tottenham a lot of trouble. Photo: Reuters.

However, Christian Eriksen's moment of brilliance saved Tottenham. With the ball 27m away, the Danish midfielder unleashed a powerful and dangerous shot with his right foot, the ball hitting the bottom left corner of the goal, leaving Hennessey helpless.

This is Tottenham's 16th clean sheet this season, the most of any Premier League team. After this victory, the "Roosters" have 74 points, a new record for this team in the Premier League. Previously, Tottenham's highest number of points was in the 2012/2013 season when they had 72 points and finished fifth.

This weekend, Tottenham host Arsenal and Chelsea visit Everton. It is likely to be the round that decides the title this season. If Tottenham beat Arsenal, they will finish higher than their rivals for the first time since 1994/1995.

According to VNE