Tottenham Hotspur secured their first home league win of the season with a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace at White Hart Lane this afternoon.

The visitors twice came within the width of a post of taking the lead in North London, with Yohan Cabaye and Bakary Sako both hitting the woodwork while the match was still goalless.

Spurs took full advantage of those let-offs with just over 20 minutes remaining as Son Heung-min capped off a memorable week for himself by getting the winning goal.

Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at whether the hosts deserved all three points from the London derby.

Match statistics

TOTTENHAM
Shots: 22
On target: 6
Possession: 57%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 9

CRYSTAL PALACE
Shots: 12
On target: 4
Possession: 43%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 11

Was the result fair?

This is a fairly tough one to answer in truth. Spurs certainly had the better of things for the majority of the match, and the statistics show that they controlled possession and had significantly more efforts on goal. However, Palace will point to their two efforts that hit the post as evidence that they could have got something out of this match. Indeed, but for a remarkable stop from Hugo Lloris from Sako's strike shortly before the winning goal, they may well have done.

Spurs started the better of the two teams, and in the opening 25 minutes or so it was almost one-way traffic as Palace failed to gain a foothold in the game. The visitors struggled to keep hold of the ball for any length of time, allowing Tottenham to launch wave after wave of attacks. Harry Kane, Erik Lamela and Dele Alli all had sights of goal for the hosts in the first half, but in truth they didn't have enough quality in the final third to seriously trouble Palace, who grew into the half as it progressed.

A lack of cutting edge was again evident in the second half until Christian Eriksen was introduced off the bench, with the Dane making Spurs look like a much more threatening outfit. Palace never really provided a response to going behind, and it was Tottenham who came closest to adding the game's second goal when Alli sent a shot narrowly wide. On the overall balance of play, the hosts do deserve the victory today but, in terms of chances created, Palace probably should have got something from the game.

Tottenham's performance

Having finally got their first win of the season last weekend, and followed that up with victory in the Europa League, Spurs went into this match knowing that another triumph would make for a very successful week. That is exactly what happened, and three victories on the bounce now should provide the perfect platform for Mauricio Pochettino's side to continue their push up the table. As has been the case all season, this was by no means the perfect performance, but they were able to come away with the points.

The biggest concern throughout the first half for the hosts would have been their failure to really test Alex McCarthy. Alli had one low effort saved by the Palace keeper towards the end of the half, but that was the only time he was seriously troubled in the opening 45 minutes - not good enough considering the level of Tottenham's dominance. Their lack of quality when it matters most has been a running criticism throughout the start to the season, and that was evident again today.

Eriksen did help that, and his return from injury should give Spurs a major boost. He got an assist within two minutes of his introduction and immediately made Spurs carry more of a threat in the final third. Defensively they were sound throughout, containing Palace's dangerous attackers for the most part, although they did need Lloris on top form to turn Sako's shot onto the post. There is still plenty to work on for Spurs, and they are unlikely to push for the top four without significant further improvement, but it is another win and another clean sheet today, so a job well done.

Crystal Palace's performance

Palace have established themselves as away specialists under Alan Pardew, winning 10 of their 12 outings on the road since his arrival going into this game. However, they showed very few signs of exactly why this afternoon. The likes of Yannick Bolasie, Jason Puncheon, Sako and Wilfried Zaha - all usually so dangerous on the break - struggled to get into the match for any length of time, and they weren't helped by Palace's failure to keep hold of the ball, particularly in the first half.

The Eagles did start to figure more as an attacking force as the opening 45 minutes wore on, with Bolasie in particular having more of a say, and they almost broke the deadlock right on the stroke of half time when Cabaye's beautifully-struck shot smacked against the upright. That did not seem to give them a lift coming back out for the second half, though, as Spurs once again took control of the game and comfortably contained the visitors' forward players.

Again the woodwork, this time helped by Lloris, denied them 20 minutes into the second half, but that was their only real sight of goal after the break. Having failed to pose their usual counter-attacking threats, the irony of being hit on the break themselves for the winning goal is unlikely to have been lost on Pardew, although he will feel that McCarthy should have done better with Son's strike. In all, it was an underwhelming display from a Palace side who have already won at Stamford Bridge this season, and they can't have many complaints at leaving North London empty handed.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Son Heung-min: What a week it has been for the South Korean. Having made a winning debut for the club last weekend, he scored twice in as many minutes in midweek and opened his Premier League account today. He was positive whenever he was in possession, with his direct running and pace causing Palace problems, as shown by his goal on the break.

Biggest gaffe

McCarthy did not cover himself in glory today, and the keeper was at fault for the winning goal. Son's low strike was a decent one, but it was more or less straight at the Palace shot-stopper and he should have made the save rather than allowing it to sneak through his legs.

Referee performance

It was all pretty straightforward for Michael Oliver today. The officials correctly disallowed one Tottenham goal and, aside from that, dishing out three yellow cards was about all the referee had to do.

What next?

Tottenham: It is the big one for Spurs next up as they host North London rivals Arsenal in the League Cup, before taking on league leaders Manchester City on Saturday.

Crystal Palace: Palace, meanwhile, host Charlton Athletic in the cup on Wednesday before returning to Premier League action against Watford at Vicarage Road next weekend.