August 18 2013

Dean Moxey - handled in the area to give away the penalty.

Crystal Palace were edged out 1-0 in their first game back in the Premier League by Tottenham.

The only way Spurs could get through the impregnable Palace defence was from the penalty spot after Dean Moxey handled in the area in the second half.

Up till then, Palace defended stoutly without really troubling Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris until late on and can take lots of positives.

Barring Dwight Gayle, Palace boss Ian Holloway fielded the same XI used in the Championship last season with all the other summer signings on the bench.

The Eagles restricted Tottenham to long-range attempts with Mousa Dembele coming closest to scoring by clipping the top of the bar.

Then Julian Speroni was alert to brilliantly push out Gylfi Sigurdsson's blaster, while Roberto Soldado - a £26million signing from Valencia - lifted a shot over the bar.

And in first half stoppage time, Nacer Chadli nodded over while unmarked at the far post.

Four minutes after the break, Spurs got the breakthrough with a spot-kick that Soldado put away after Aaron Lennon's cross hit Moxey in the arm.

Holloway went for broke by bringing on Jonny Williams, Marouane Chamakh and Kevin Phillips in the 65th minute and the Eagles look more of a threat.

Gayle and Phillips beat the Tottenham offside trap, only for Lloris to react quickly off his line and clear the danger.

But with holes at the back, Sigurdsson and Chadli wasted decent efforts for the visitors.

With the match now becoming end-to-end, Lloris fumbled a corner and blocked Damien Delaney's volley from the rebound.

Sub Jermain Defoe had two excellent opportinties to kill the game off but fired wide.

Palace could have snatched a point in the last minute but Lloris denied Kagisho Dikgacoi's volley and then a dangerous cut-back in the six-yard box.

Palace: Speroni, Ward, Moxey, Gabbidon, Delaney, Dikgacoi, Jedinak (c), Garvan (Chamakh 65), Dobbie (Williams 65), Wilbraham (Phillips 65), Gayle.

Not Used: Alexander, Marange, O'Keefe, Campana.

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