Heung-Min Son nets second-half winner as Tottenham limp to narrow victory over Crystal Palace

That is it for this particular blog, but be sure to stay with IBTimes UK for coverage of a massive double-header as Manchester City host Arsenal and Chelsea entertain Manchester United.

Goodbye.

Not exactly a convincing display from Tottenham and a world away from their midweek defeat of Real Madrid, but Son's second-half curler and a fine debut from Gazzaniga is enough to secure the win and close the gap to the top two.

A fifth defeat in seven games for Hodgson, while rock-bottom Palace are still without a goal or a point on their travels in 2017-18. However, they can take heart from what was a spirited performance.

Full-time

Tottenham 1-0 Crystal Palace

Townsend cuts inside with menace and unleashes a left-footed drive that is blocked by Dier.

Sissoko then does well to take possession from Zaha and win a free-kick which relieves any late pressure.

Pochettino looks to run down the clock by withdrawing Rose in favour of Davies.

Three minutes of added time for Palace to find an equaliser.

After Son loses the ball, Townsend skips into the Spurs box and rides a sliding challenge from Dier before seeing his pass inside booted away by Sanchez.

Tottenham force another corner but still they cannot get a free header at goal and the ball goes out of play off Sanchez.

Gazzaniga has enjoyed an impressive debut for Spurs and this time he races off his line to intercept a pass towards Chelsea loanee and new England call-up Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Son races clear once again but this time is well-marshalled by Sakho.

Vertonghen dispossesses Zaha and plays in Son, who sells Speroni with a look to the far post before shooting into the side netting. That really should have been 2-0.

No 14th goal of the season for Kane this afternoon. Fernando Llorente comes on in his place.

Palace still fighting as Zaha rushes forward and finds Cabaye, who drives a shot across goal and wide.

After Gazzaniga is fouled at a corner, Hodgson sends on Bakary Sako in place of Ward.

Dann does brilliantly to thwart Kane and Zaha misses the target at the other end. Palace certainly not out of this yet.

After a spot of pinball in the penalty box, Palace's stern resistance is broken.

Son bends an unstoppable curling effort beyond the despairing reach of Speroni.

Goal: Tottenham 1-0 Crystal Palace (Heung-Min Son)

Rose sends a great ball across the face of the six-yard box but there is no Spurs player there to turn it home.

Cabaye's corner takes a big deflection off Dier and Gazzaniga does extremely well to keep out Milivojevic's close-range header at the back post.

Palace are looking far more likely to break the deadlock at Wembley.

Aurier gives the ball away far too casually and Palace spring forward on the counter.

Townsend plays a super ball into the path of Zaha, who rounds the onrushing Gazzaniga before shooting wide of an open goal from a tricky angle.

What a chance.

Schlupp gifts possession to Aurier and is booked for then hauling the Ivorian down.

Sakho is somehow the furthest Palace player forward and Aurier has to be alert to stop him from connecting with a cross from Milivojevic.

Cabaye's latest corner is caught cleanly by Gazzaniga.

Tottenham applying plenty of pressure now as they win a succession of corners. Speroni tries to keep Davinson Sanchez's lofted effort in play but cannot do so.

A wretched pass from Aurier is intercepted by Townsend, who takes on Dier and fizzes in a low shot that is pushed wide by Gazzaniga.

The second half is underway. One change from Pochettino, who has sent on Mousa Dembele in place of Winks.

Tactical, or did the young midfielder not shake off that early knock?

Not too much to get excited about in that goalless first half, with Spurs getting plenty of low crosses into the box but struggling to break down a resilient Palace defence.

Gazzaniga recovered from an uncomfortable start to deny Dann Palace's first away goal of the season. It's all a little bit flat after the euphoria of the Real Madrid win and Hodgson will definitely be the happier of the two managers at the break.

Half-time

Tottenham 0-0 Crystal Palace

Cabaye has an opportunity to whip in a dangerous ball on the stroke of half-time but his floated delivery to the back post is easily claimed by Gazzaniga.

Tottenham counter quickly and Andros Townsend is cautioned for pulling back Sissoko.

Two minutes of added time have been signalled by the fourth official. Aurier takes out Ward and is given a warning.

Winks and Eriksen combine to release Son, whose woeful cross sails out of play with Kane ready to pounce in the middle.

Winks then fails to work Speroni with a hopeful shot that trickles wide of the Argentine's left-hand post.

Spurs probe patiently for an opening five minutes before the interval as Palace maintain their defensive discipline.

Vertonghen's 25-yard strike takes a worrying deflection off Dann but is dealt with by a scrambling Speroni.

Dier concedes a corner with another well-timed sliding challenge on Zaha and is then beaten in the air by Dann, whose header forces Gazzaniga into an impressive one-handed save.

Vertonghen scrambles the ball clear.

Aurier moves too early to collect a through pass from Eriksen and is flagged offside.

Tottenham quickly come again as Kane plays a neat one-two with Rose before planting a header onto the roof of the net.

Palace clear another corner before a deep right-wing cross from Aurier is headed disastrously wide by fellow full-back Rose on the opposite side. He won't want to see that again.

Rose wins a corner off Fosu-Mensah. Tottenham work it short towards Son, but Dann is once again alert to clear the danger.

Still goalless at Wembley as we hit the 30-minute mark.

No rhythm to Spurs now after a long ball towards Son is overhit and rolls out of play for a Speroni goal kick.

At the other end, Dier makes another strong sliding tackle to dispossess Schlupp.

Kane receives attention both on and off the pitch before jogging gingerly back into the action.

Both Pochettino and Gareth Southgate will be praying that he can shake that off quickly.

Kane down now after taking a kick to the right ankle from Fosu-Mensah. Pochettino watches on with a concerned look on his face.

Winks loses possession to Luka Milivojevic and appears to sustain a painful knock in the process. He will require treatment.

Rose is warned by referee Friend for holding before Cabaye's corner is headed clear by Dier.

Cabaye's ambitious effort from long-range is then blocked by Kane.

Jeffrey Schlupp tries to release Zaha and Dier comes across to make an excellent sliding challenge on the cover.

Plenty of pace on the break for Palace.

A trio of blocks from the busy Sakho, who covers for Dann after he is beaten for pace by Son and also repels deliveries from Aurier and Eriksen.

Rose's dangerous low ball towards Kane is hooked away by Dann and Eriksen shoots wide.

Kane tests the experienced Julian Speroni with a volley from distance after a snappy pass into feet from Jan Vertonghen.

Rose produces a couple of crosses from the left flank that are cleared by Scott Dann and Sakho.

Tottenham dominating possession now as they seek to liven up a sleepy crowd for this earliest ever kick-off at Wembley.

A couple of attempted through balls from Christian Eriksen and Yohan Cabaye are dealt with.

Palace immediately on the front foot as Harry Winks fouls Joel Ward and gives away an early free-kick.

Wilfried Zaha displays trademark quick feet before sending over a dangerous cross towards Sakho.

The former Liverpool defender just takes his eye off the ball and sustains a blow to the head from the unconvincing Gazzaniga.

Not a good start from the goalkeeper, who could have given away a penalty.

Perfectly observed.

Referee Kevin Friend gets us underway in sunny northwest London. Both sides are wearing their respective home strips, with Tottenham kicking from left to right in this first half as we look at it.

Can they continue that midweek momentum and reduce the gap to leaders Manchester City, or will Palace spring another big shock?

With this being the last round of fixtures before Remembrance Sunday, there are tributes being paid to those that have made the ultimate sacrifice in conflict across the weekend.

Wembley will now observe another period of silence.

After a four-year spell in charge of England, Hodgson is certainly no stranger to Wembley either.

His last game here was a 1-0 friendly victory over eventual champions Portugal in the build-up to Euro 2016. Rose, Eric Dier, Alli and Kane all started that match.

Speaking to BT Sport, Pochettino reiterates that Alli suffered a hamstring injury after the Madrid game and confirms Vorm picked up a knee issue in training.

As ever, he says both problems are "minor".

Gazzaniga's last Premier League match for Southampton was actually against Tottenham, all the way back in December 2015.

He made just two appearances in total that season and spent last year on loan in the Spanish second division with Rayo Vallecano.

Not exactly a shock, but England have now announced that they will be minus Alli for their upcoming friendly double-header against Brazil and Germany.

The home of English football looking resplendent on this sunny but chilly autumnal morning.

The last time Palace played at Wembley was in the 2016 FA Cup final, when they lost 2-1 to Manchester United in extra-time. That game has, of course, been forever immortalised in GIF form with Alan Pardew's cringeworthy sideline dancing.

I wonder if Spurs will now have cause to regret not agreeing a deal to re-sign former third-string goalie Pau Lopez, who is having a terrific season in La Liga with Espanyol.

For Palace, James Tomkins makes way for the returning Sakho and McArthur takes a seat on the bench.

Van Aanholt does not make it, so Manchester United loanee Timothy Fosu-Mensah gets the nod.

Confirmation from Spurs that Alli and Vorm have joined Lloris, Alderweireld, Wanyama and Lamela in the treatment room. Concerning, particularly with that visit to Arsenal coming up.

It was reported in one newspaper this morning that Dele Alli had suffered a hamstring issue and was set to be sidelined for around a fortnight. He does not make the matchday squad, so that would seem to be accurate.

Full-backs Kieran Trippier and Ben Davies drop to the bench, with Serge Aurier, Danny Rose, Moussa Sissoko and Heung-Min Son all promoted to the starting XI.

Michel Vorm was expected to deputise as usual in Lloris' absence, but instead summer signing Paulo Gazzaniga makes his Tottenham debut. 19-year-old Alfie Whiteman is on the bench.

Official team news coming up in just a couple of minutes. Stay tuned.

Palace could be boosted by the return of Mamadou Sakho (calf) and James McArthur (ankle), who have both trained this week after missing the West Ham draw.

Hodgson said that Patrick van Aanholt was making "incredible progress" in his recovery from a hamstring injury that forced him out of that game and was hopeful of him being involved in yesterday's session. However, the Dutch left-back remains a doubt.

Christian Benteke has now endured seven weeks of his predicted two-month lay-off with knee ligament damage. While today's match will come too soon for the striker, it is believed that he could train again during the break.

Lee Chung-yong (hamstring) is still sidelined, as is long-term absentee Connor Wickham.

Erik Lamela is still not ready to make his first Spurs appearance in more than a year. Pochettino hopes that he will feature after the international break and denies that his compatriot's problem is now purely mental.

The Argentine also could not say if Victor Wanyama would be in a position to feature again before the New Year. The combative midfielder has been out with a knee problem since August and visited a specialist before commencing "fieldwork" last week.

Harry Kane missed just the one game with his minor hamstring strain and Pochettino is confident that he is now fully recovered.

Tottenham are without captain Hugo Lloris (thigh) and Toby Alderweireld (hamstring) today after the duo both picked up injuries against Real Madrid.

They were due to undergo scans on Friday amid fears that they will also be ruled out of the north London derby clash with Arsenal on 18 November.

France coach Didier Deschamps believes goalkeeper Lloris has an adductor tear and will be sidelined for a minimum of 15 days.

After the sublime highs of midweek, an early meeting with bottom-of-the-table Crystal Palace at Wembley Stadium could very much turn out to be a case of after the Lord Mayor's Show for Tottenham Hotspur today.

Not since October 2012 had reigning Spanish and European champions Real Madrid suffered a group stage defeat in the Champions League, but Zinedine Zidane's side were simply no match for Spurs on Wednesday night as a brace from the returning Dele Alli and an effort from Christian Eriksen secured qualification for the last 16 and, according to Mauricio Pochettino at least, a place in Europe's elite.

Tottenham had lost successive domestic matches before that famous triumph and it is important that they get their title bid back on track this afternoon with three points that would - temporarily at least - take them level with second-place Manchester United and five points adrift of prolific leaders Manchester City.

Standing in their way is a Palace team that can equal the worst Premier League team in history - 2007-08 Derby County - by failing to net in their opening six away matches. The struggling Eagles are simply woeful on their travels, losing their last seven top-flight road games without scoring.

However, while Palace remain rooted to the foot of the table and are one of only three teams in Europe's major leagues still yet to keep a clean sheet, they have taken four points from their last three matches under Roy Hodgson after losing each of the first seven.

Wilfried Zaha's last-gasp equaliser against relegation rivals West Ham should have given them a timely confidence boost, while a 2-1 win over Chelsea last month - plus a strong record against last season's top six in 2017 - proved they are certainly capable of mixing it with the big boys on occasion.