Richarlison constantly caught offside, but Spurs clinch massive win at Selhurst Park

Picture this - Tottenham were pale, yet scored three times, and it ended in a 1-0 win for Spurs at Selhurst Park. Yes, it sounds awkward, but that's precisely how the mid-table derby between Crystal Palace and Tottenham unfolded on Sunday night.

Although far from impressive, Thomas Frank's men were good when and where it mattered the most - in the defence. Despite having a home ground advantage and what seemed to be a dominant performance on the pitch, the Eagles just couldn't find the back of Vicario's net, repeating some old mistakes that have cost them a lot since the start of the season in both the Premier League and the Conference League.

Moreover, the visitors were able to exploit their biggest defensive flaw - set pieces.

Six of the nine Premier League goals Crystal Palace have conceded in December have been from set pieces, including each of the last six in a row. And that's how they lost tonight, again - Richarlison, who at that time had already had a goal ruled out, headed it into the path of young Archie Gray, whose smooth header broke the deadlock, 0-1.

Oliver Glasner's side didn't seem to worry, though, with so much time still left on the clock, but the remainder of the game proved them wrong.

A few of their promising opportunities went wide, and Vicario seemed so confident between the sticks, allowing his teammates to build a wall around the box and keep a clean sheet.

On the other end, Richarlison was on target again after the break, following Kudus' remarkable cross with the outside of his left foot. Alas, the video-assistant footage showed his body was millimetres offside.

Odobert and Betancour had their excellent goal-scoring chances in the last stage of the game, but it remained 0-1 at Selhurst Park as Spurs came just a point behind Tottenham on the EPL table.

PREMIER LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 18

Friday

Manchester United - Newcastle 1-0 (1-0)

/Dorgu 24/

Saturday

Nottingham Forest - Manchester City 1-2 (0-0)

/Hutchinson 54 - Reijnders 48, Cherki 83/

Arsenal - Brighton 2-1 (1-0)

/Odegaard 14, Rutter 55 og - Gomez 64/

Brentford - Bournemouth 4-1 (2-0)

/Schade 7, 51, 90+6, Petrovic 39 og - Semenyo 75/

Burnley - Everton 0-0

Liverpool - Wolverhampton 2-1 (2-0)

/Gravenberch 41, Wirtz 42 - Bueno 51/

West Ham - Fulham 0-1 (0-0)

/Jimenez 85/

Chelsea - Aston Villa 1-2 (1-0)

/Pedro 37 - Watkins 63, 84/

Sunday

Sunderland - Leeds 1-1 (1-0)

/Adingra 28 - Calvert-Lewin 47/

Crystal Palace - Tottenham 0-1 (0-1)

/Gray 42/