Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for the early Sunday kickoff in the Premier League as Tottenham Hotspur host Crystal Palace in a London derby at White Hart Lane. These two sides have experienced contrasting starts to the season, but both will come into this match looking for the win today, so we should have an entertaining contest on our hands. Let's start with a look at the team news...

TOTTENHAM STARTING XI: Lloris; Walker, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Davies; Alli, Dier; Lamela, Son, Chadli; Kane

TOTTENHAM SUBS: Vorm, Fazio, Trippier, Carroll, Clinton, Eriksen, Townsend

CRYSTAL PALACE STARTING XI: McCarthy; Kelly, Hangeland, Delaney, Souare; McArthur, Cabaye; Zaha, Puncheon, Sako; Bolasie

CRYSTAL PALACE SUBS: Hennessey, Mariappa, Ledley, Mutch, Lee, Campbell, Bamford

What can we make of those two sides, then? Well, there are a few interesting points about the side chosen by Mauricio Pochettino, but we'll start up front where Harry Kane once again gets the nod to lead the line. There was some debate as to whether his position may be under threat given his form in front of goal and events in midweek (more on that in a second), but Pochettino has consistently insisted that he has faith in Kane, and he has shown that again today. The England international scored twice for his country during the recent international break but is yet to open his club account for the season. Indeed, he has just two goals in his last 13 league appearances, compared to 17 in his previous 15.

The man who could have been putting pressure on Kane for that lead striking role was summer arrival Son Heung-min, who joined for £18m from Leverkusen. He had a quiet debut against Sunderland last time out, it must be said, but his first goals arrived in the Europa League on Thursday as he scored twice in quick succession against Qarabag to turn the game on its head. He starts behind the striker today, as he did on his debut, and if he can share the goalscoring burden with Kane then that will be a huge boost to Spurs.

The only change from last weekend's win over Sunderland is an enforced one, although the inclusion of Erik Lamela may have been coming anyway after he made an impact in midweek. He scored his side's third goal against Qarabag and has been rewarded with a start this afternoon, while Christian Eriksen is limited to a place on the bench having been sidelined by a knee injury of late. Interestingly, that sees Dele Alli - who has been a bright attacking spark this season - drop back into a more defensive midfield role alongside Eric Dier, replacing the injured Mason.

Defensively, there are no changes from the win and clean sheet over Sunderland, with Pochettino having handed starts to the likes of Trippier, Wimmer and Rose in midweek. Vertonghen, who was impressive against the Black Cats, returns at the heart of the defence, while Walker keeps his place on the right and Davies is once again preferred to Rose on the other side. Lloris, as ever, skippers the side from the goal.

As for Palace, it is once again an attacking lineup named by Alan Pardew and one that should pose Spurs plenty of problems on the counter-attack. Yannick Bolasie will start as the main striker, something of an unfamiliar role for the winger but one that he could prove to be devastating in given his pace and trickery. His goal record for Palace isn't as good as it perhaps should be, however, so Pardew will be looking to those around him to help out in that regard.

They have no shortage of options in that area, though. Puncheon and Zaha are always capable of creating or taking chances of their own, while Bakary Sako has arguably been Palace's best player so far this season following his arrival in the summer. He looks dangerous whenever he gets on the ball and, stretching back to his spell at Wolves, he has now been directly involved in nine goals in his last 10 league games - scoring five goals and creating four more.

Behind them, they have the creativity of Cabaye, who has the quality to find the darting runs of those ahead of him. His work off the ball has impressed since Palace secured his signature too, and his presence in midfield could well take Palace up to the next level of challenging for Europe this season. McArthur alongside him is an important figure too given his scrapping abilities and protection of his back four.

The defence is arguably where Palace are weakest at the moment, but there is no doubt that the likes of Hangeland and Delaney can make it difficult for opposition strikers - not to mention their threat from set pieces at the other end of the field too. Spurs may look to test out that back four with some heavy pressure, but alongside that comes the danger of being caught on the break by a Palace side who can be devastating when counter-attacking.

This will by no means be an easy match for Spurs, then, but they will be coming into it with renewed confidence following back-to-back victories that Mauricio Pochettino will be hoping can kickstart his season. It had not been the best start to the campaign for his side in all honesty, but with a number of their expected top-four rivals also slipping up, Spurs still find themselves just four points off the top four. A big enough victory today could lift them as high as sixth.

They could and should be up there with the likes of Manchester United, Leicester and Arsenal already, though. Spurs have had the chances to put plenty more points on the board than they have managed, blowing leads against Stoke City and Leicester before failing to take advantage of a host of chances in their goalless draw with Everton. That is six points that they could have realistically claimed - a tally that would leave them level on points with second.

The growing pressure on Pochettino at the start of the season was lifted a little last weekend when they picked up their first league win of the season at the fifth time of asking, though. It was again not the most encouraging performance from Spurs and, in truth, they were fortunate to get anything out of the game, yet alone a victory. Sunderland hit the woodwork twice at the Stadium of Light and were on top for the vast majority of the game, with Tottenham only starting to figure as an attacking force in the final 20 minutes or so. Mason got that all-important goal, however, and another victory today would turn a poor start into a fairly decent one.

They actually come into this match unbeaten in their last five games in all competitions, with their only defeat of the campaign being a rather unlucky 1-0 reverse against Manchester United on the opening day - a match decided by a Kyle Walker own goal. As mentioned, they beat Qarabag in the Europa League on Thursday to make it two wins on the bounce, and they have not won three in a row in all competitions since January. It remains to be seen how they will cope with the renewed rigours of European football in midweek again, though.

It is clear to see where Tottenham's strengths and weaknesses lie so far this season. Only the two Manchester clubs have conceded fewer than Pochettino's side so far this season, but by the same token only two have scored fewer. That may change if and when Kane starts firing again, of course, but the profligacy in front of goal has certainly been an issue in the early stages of the domestic season - particularly in that Everton game.

Defensively, though, they look a solid outfit with the Belgian pairing of Alderweireld and Vertonghen in the middle. The former was given the runaround by Defoe a little last weekend, but they still managed to keep a clean sheet in that match, making it back-to-back games in which they have kept the opposition at bay. They haven't kept three consecutive league clean sheets in the same season since October-November 2013.

Their home form may be something of a concern to Pochettino, with Spurs having won just one of their last five league outings at White Hart Lane after a 10 game unbeaten run prior to that. They are unbeaten in four in front of their own fans including the 3-1 victory over Qarabag on Thursday, but they are winless in the league this season and the two draws they have managed - 2-2 against Stoke and 0-0 against Everton - really should have been two wins.

When you couple that record with Crystal Palace's away from home, it should give the Eagles plenty of confidence heading into this match. They have been magnificent on the road since Alan Pardew's arrival in January, winning 24 of a possible 30 points on the road in that time. Their points tally away from home in 2015 as a whole, which includes one match before Pardew arrived, stands at 25, which only Arsenal in the Premier League can match.

In all competitions, Palace have won 10 of their 12 away games under the former Newcastle boss - the same number as they managed in 41 matches on the road prior to his arrival. They have a 100% record this season, which includes victory at Stamford Bridge, and if they could just replicate that in front of their own fans then they would certainly be up there challenging for Europe. Their playing style lends itself to away days, though, with Palace being so deadly on the counter-attack.

Overall it has been a pretty solid start to the season for the Eagles. They have certainly not had it easy, facing Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City already in addition to Spurs today, but they have still managed to garber nine points from their five outings to sit seventh in the table at the start of play - they would be back in the top four with a win here. Even in their defeats, which came to Arsenal and Man City, they have looked a match for those top teams, so they will fancy their chances of grabbing another win today.

They are coming into the game off the back of a loss, though, and it was one that would have been hard to take. Manchester City arrived at Selhurst Park with a perfect record so far this season, something that looked on course for being spoiled as the clock ticked to 90 with the scores still goalless. Iheanacho popped up with the late winner to hand City all three points, however, and while the league leaders probably just about deserved the win over the course of the match, that would not have made it any easier for Pardew and his players to take.

Despite that loss, they are still in good form coming into this match. They have won six of their last eight games in all competitions, including victories over Liverpool and Chelsea, while this term they have won four of six. Only three teams had scored more than the Eagles after five games of the campaign, but they are also yet to keep a clean sheet so far this season, which will be an area of concern.

I mentioned their away form earlier, and they could be on the verge of history in that respect today. They have won each of their last three league games on the road, and another victory today would give them four in a row in the top flight for the first time ever. They have also only managed to win their opening three away games of a season once before - back in 1960-61 when they were in the old Division Four.

Despite that, they have won just three of their last 19 away London derbies in the Premier League, drawing five and losing 11. Two of those victories have arrived since Pardew took over in January, however, and they are certainly a different prospect on the road now than they were at any other stage of that surprisingly poor run. In addition to their threat on the counter-attack they are also dangerous from set pieces, with no side in the league scoring more goals from set pieces since Pardew arrived than Palace's 16.

PREDICTION: We're 10 minutes from kickoff at White Hart Lane, which means that it is time for a prediction! It says something for Palace's improvement under Pardew that they are not big outsiders for this match, and some may even make them favourites - including myself. With Tottenham's home form and Palace away record, I can see the Eagles coming away with all three points here. Add to that the fact that they have had eight days' rest compared to just three for Spurs and I think Palace should run out 2-1 winners.

Find out what we had to say about this match on the Sports Mole sofa in our video preview below:

Tottenham's home record against Palace is not the best in recent times either, with Spurs winning just one of their last six league meetings with the Eagles at White Hart Lane. Palace have only ever won here once, though, with that victory coming back in 1997 when Neil Shipperley got the only goal of the game.

Home and away, Palace have only ever beaten Spurs three times in the Premier League, but it is fair to say that the two teams are more evenly matched now than at any other point in the Premier League era. The most recent meeting between the sides ended in a 2-1 win for the Eagles, with Gayle and Puncheon on the scoresheet for the hosts at Selhurst Park and Kane getting the response for Spurs back in January. The corresponding fixture at White Hart Lane ended in a rather drab goalless draw, though, so hopefully we won't see a repeat of that today.

Right, we're just a couple of minutes away from kickoff in North London! Both sides go into this match with a genuine chance of picking up all three points here, and victory would leave either of them in a promising position after six games of the season.

KICKOFF: Here we go then! Tottenham get us underway at White Hart Lane looking for their first home Premier League win of the season.

Bright start from Spurs as Davies wins the ball high up the pitch and gives it to Son, who immediately dips inside and has a go from 25 yards. His shot is blocked, but that was positive play both on and off the ball.

CHANCE! Big chance for Kane, but he just can't score for Spurs at the moment. It comes from the resulting corner after Son's shot as Kane peels off his man and finds himself in acres of space inside the box. He sees the ball all the way, but plants his header well off target when he really should have done better.

Spurs will be pleased with the start they have made to this match. They have been energetic both on and off the ball, although Palace won't mind the hosts controlling possession given their threat on the break.

Lively play from Son as again he twists and turns before feeding a pass down the line for Kane. The South Korean goes for a return pass, but Kane ignores him and eventually gives the ball away with a poor pass across the edge of the box.

Palace are struggling to gain a foothold in this match at the moment. Their passing has not being good enough when trying to release Bolasie up front and Spurs have found things very comfortable in the opening 10 minutes or so.

Alli is playing in a slightly more advanced role than Dier, who at times is dropping between his centre-backs to form a back three. The former MK Dons man is still not as far forward as he would like to be, though, and Palace could get some joy from testing his defensive capabilities.

Alli has a chance to either shoot or slip it through to Son, and he chooses the latter only to put too much on his pass. This is one-way traffic at the moment, with Palace defending very deep as they look to weather the early storm.

Delaney has a problem that will require treatment here. Dann has just been ruled out so Pardew could do without another injury to one of his defenders, but the skipper looks like he will be fine to continue.

Spurs have had 70% possession in the opening 15 minutes of this game, which is reflective of their dominance so far. They have only created that Kane chance, but they have been in control of the match in midfield, with Palace unable to keep hold of the ball for any significant length of time.

SAVE! Again Spurs come forward as Lamela collects the ball and spins to face goal from around 25 yards out. He fires a low strike towards the bottom corner that McCarthy parries away, and Delaney is there to ensure that the rebound doesn't fall to Kane.

Palace have their first real chance to get the ball into the Tottenham box via a free kick, and up come the big boys from the back. Puncheon's delivery is drilled in, though, and Sako can only get the faintest of touches on it and it flies all the way through for a throw-in.

That's a bit more like it from Palace. The front men combine as Puncheon, Zaha, Bolasie and Sako are all involved, with the latter's vicious low cross being put behind for a corner.

SAVES! From the resulting corner Souare peels off towards the edge of the box and nods it back into the danger area. Hangeland does well to get a shot away, but it is easy for Lloris to claim. Spurs quickly break up the other end, but Chadli's low effort towards the bottom corner is stopped by McCarthy.

Alderweireld plays a fine long ball over the top for Lamela to race on to down the right channel, but the winger's first touch lets him down under pressure from Souare and the ball goes out for a goal kick.

Palace are starting to grow as an attacking force now and this time it is Bolasie who dances past a couple of white shirts before seeing his low effort from range take a nick off Vertonghen on its way behind.

Shooting chance for Spurs as Chadli picks the ball up on the left before cutting inside and laying the ball off for Son. He is never one to turn down a shot, but McArthur does well to get his body in the way and deflect it over for a corner.

Almost a dodgy moment for Hangeland as he produces almost a Cruyff turn very needlessly inside his own area, turning him towards Kane. He keeps his composure, though, and beats the Tottenham striker before striding out from defence.

Speculative effort from Davies, who lets fly from a good 30 yards out and sends his shot high and wide of the target.

Son has been really positive in possession so far today, and again he bursts forward from midfield here, showing great pace to get him into a shooting position. He doesn't seem to be too comfortable on his left foot, however, so tries to cut back inside and is tackled by Hangeland.

CHANCE! Chance for Spurs as Alli, who is certainly not simply sitting deep, collects a square ball from Chadli before hitting a first-time effort towards the bottom corner from the edge of the box. McCarthy parries it into the path of Kane, but the angle is against the striker and he can only drill it back across the face of goal. Moments later Kane has another effort that trickles rather tamely wide of the far post.

Questions were raised over McCarthy's part in the Manchester City winner last weekend, and it must be said that the Palace keeper has parried a couple of efforts into dangerous areas already today. He needs to get more on his saves to push them away from danger.

SAVE! Brilliant pass from Puncheon to release Bolasie down the left, but the first touch is poor from the winger. He still manages to force a save from Lloris with a low effort having collected the ball at the second time of asking and cut inside the full-back.

Good chance for Palace here as Bolasie picks the ball up and runs straight at the heart of the Tottenham defence before being brought down by Davies in a very dangerous position...

SAVE! It is Sako who takes on the free kick and he curls it over the wall, but it is fairly central for Lloris and he is able to get across to punch the ball away. Good effort, but Lloris was always expected to make the save.

Another free kick for Palace in a decent position, although this time it is more suited to a cross. Cabaye delivers the ball, but Kane is there to clear it and then prevent it from going out for a corner too. Good defensive work from the striker.

Palace have certainly grown into this match after a slow start, and it is pretty even now as we approach half time. Clear chances have been relatively hard to come by, but the best of them have fallen to Spurs.

Chadli picks the ball up on the left flank and beats his man to earn a yard before standing a cross up into the middle. McCarthy needs to claw it away from underneath his own crossbar, while Souare completes the clearance at the back post by putting it behind for a corner.

OFF THE POST! Palace are inches away from breaking the deadlock right on the stroke of half time! Zaha fed the ball to Cabaye on the right side of the area and, despite having very little of the goal to aim at, he sends the cleanest strike towards the bottom far corner. Lloris is well beaten, but the ball smacks off the foot of the post.

YELLOW CARD! As Spurs tried to break following that, Kelly hauled down his man and was shown a yellow card as a result.

The first half comes to an end at White Hart Lane and we are still goalless in the London derby between Tottenham and Crystal Palace. There have been a couple of good moments for either side, with Tottenham starting well but Palace growing into the half and looking dangerous towards the closing stages.

The closest we have come to a goal came right on the stroke of half time when Cabaye collected Zaha's pass after a defensive error from Spurs. The Frenchman fired a fine effort towards the far bottom corner from a tight angle but, with Lloris beaten, his low strike hit the foot of the post.

Aside from that, the best chances have fallen the way of Spurs, although the hosts have been lacking a little quality in the final third. Dele Alli came closest for his side with a low drive from the edge of the box that forced a good stop from McCarthy, although the keeper could only push the ball into the path of Kane. The Spurs striker had the angle against him so tried to cut it back across goal, but it went underneath the keeper and all the way through to safety.

Kane had another clear sight of goal in the opening minutes when he found himself unmarked inside the area to get his head to a corner. He saw the ball coming all the way and was not stretching for it, so he should have done a lot better than sending his header high and wide of the target. Aside from that, Lamela has tested the keeper, while Son has looked bright, but they haven't shown enough at the business end of the field.

Sako has seen a good free kick saved by Lloris at the other end of the field, while Bolasie has drawn a save from the Spurs skipper too. Bolasie had a growing impact on the game as the half wore on, but Palace did seem to lack a genuine focal point in attack. This one could go either way in the coming 45 minutes.

KICKOFF: Palace get us back underway for the second half, and the first thing to tell you is that the visitors have made a change at the break. Fraizer Campbell comes on in place of Zaha, who appeared to be unwell in the warm-up.

Almost a shocker from McCarthy immediately after kickoff as Palace play the ball all the way back to the keeper, who is being chased down by Son. His clearance is straight at the Tottenham man, but the ball bounces behind for a goal kick.

Another promising start to the half from Spurs, who have looked lively enough inside the Palace half but have lacked a cutting edge in and around the area - not the first time that criticism has been levelled at them this season.

Kane has again had a difficult time of things so far this afternoon. He has put in a decent shift, as always, but that clinical just doesn't appear to be there at the moment.

Good chance for Spurs here as Alli wins his side a free kick right on the edge of the box, with McArthur the guilty party as far as Palace are concerned. This one may just be too close to the edge of the area, though...

SAVE! It is a really good effort from Lamela, who manages to get it up and down in time, but McCarthy reacts in time to push the ball over the bar.

We're 10 minutes into the second half now, and I can't imagine it will be too long before we see Eriksen from the Tottenham bench. This game is crying out for a touch of quality in the final third of the pitch, and the Dane - fitness depending - could be the man to provide it.

Frantic play on the edge of the Palace area as first Alli is dispossessed by Puncheon when about to pull the trigger, before Lamela immediately wins the ball back off the Palace man. Son collects it and twists and turns in an attempt to create space for a shot before eventually being tackled.

DISALLOWED GOAL! Spurs have the ball in the back of the net, but the linesman's flag is up to deny it! Son sparked the chance with some great work down the right channel before drilling a powerful effort towards goal that McCarthy again parried into a dangerous area. Davies loops his headed rebound towards goal which Hangeland only half clears under pressure from Kane, allowing Davies to nod home at the second time of asking. Kane, who did interfere in play, is the man flagged for offside, though.

This is a really good spell for Tottenham at the moment. They are camped inside the Palace half right now and putting the visitors under some sustained pressure. Still that prolific streak in front of goal is missing, though.

YELLOW CARD! Bolasie goes into the book for a mistimed sliding challenge on Walker, and he can have no complaints with that one.

OFF THE POST! Palace hit the woodwork for the second time in the match! Souare delivers a peach of a cross from the left flank that Campbell really should do better with, but he misses the ball and it arrives all the way through to Sako. The winger hits a ferocious first-time strike towards the bottom far corner, but Lloris gets down to make a truly stunning stop, turning it onto the post.

The resulting corner is won by Hangeland, but his header hits Chadli before Campbell hooks an effort over from close range.

TOTTENHAM SUB: Spurs make their first change of the afternoon as fit-again Christian Eriksen replaces Chadli.

Just as Palace's pressure was starting to build, Spurs beat the Eagles at their own game with a lightning counter-attack. Lamela does well to launch the break from his own box, and Eriksen is involved too as he releases Son. The South Korean works a yard to shoot from the left channel, and his driven low effort finds its way through the legs of McCarthy, who really should have done better.

What a week this has been for Son. The Tottenham new boy has just got his first ever Premier League goal to make it three in his last two games for Spurs, and he already looks to be turning into a fan favourite at White Hart Lane.

What can Palace come up with in response here? They have hit the post twice already this afternoon, but those are the only two real chances that they have created and they can't have too many complaints at being behind right now. They need to improve in the final 20 minutes.

Eriksen already has an assist to his name in his short stint on the field, and he looks to add a goal to that from a long-range free kick. However, it is an ambitious effort even for a player of his quality, and he puts it well off target.

Lovely play from Kane down the left as he slides a reverse pass into the path of Eriksen. The Dane's cross only finds a Palace head, but the ball is cleared as far as Alli, who sees his shot well blocked.

YELLOW CARD! Lamela goes into the book for a foul on Cabaye having come through the back of the Palace midfielder while getting the ball.

CRYSTAL PALACE SUB: A change for Palace as McArthur is replaced by Jordon Mutch.

CLOSE! Again Spurs hit Palace on the break, with Eriksen providing the killer pass forward once more. This time it is Alli on the receiving end, and the youngster cuts inside before firing a low effort narrowly wide of the far post.

TOTTENHAM SUB: Off goes the goalscorer for Spurs as Son gets a great ovation on his departure to be replaced by Clinton N'jie, who comes on for his Premier League debut.

Eriksen has really provided a level of quality on the ball that was missing for Spurs before his introduction. He is such an important player for the team and they have looked so much more dangerous during his time on the field here.

Can Palace come up with any response in the closing stages here? There haven't been many signs of one since Tottenham took the lead, it must be said, but they have the tools to do Spurs some damage still.

CRYSTAL PALACE SUB: A third and final change for the hosts sees one of those weapons at Pardew's disposal - Bakary Sako - replaced by another in the form of Patrick Bamford.

TOTTENHAM SUB: Spurs also make a change in the closing stages here as Tom Carroll replaces Lamela, who also receives a warm reception on his way off the field.

Almost a chance for Palace as Bamford manages to poke the ball towards the near post, which interests Campbell, but Lloris is lightning quick off his line to thwart the striker.

There will be a minimum of four minutes added time at the end of this first half.

Wild one from Souare as he collects the ball on the left before cutting inside and lashing a right-footed effort closer to the corner flag than the target. Palace needed a bit more composure from him in what was a good position there.

A late chance for Palace to come forward as Bamford does well to help a long ball forward into the path of Mutch, but the sub's cross is straight into the arms of Lloris.

Tottenham Hotspur get the victory over Crystal Palace, then, and it is a valuable three points for Spurs that completes a superb week for them. New signing Son Heung-min was once again the hero with the only goal of the match, although Palace did hit the post twice, one of which saw Lloris make an outstanding stop to turn the ball onto the upright.

That is all we have time for this afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's London derby as Spurs edge past Crystal Palace at White Hart Lane. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction, analysis and player ratings. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!