Soldado makes instant impact

Crystal Palace 0 Tottenham 1

The Spain striker, whose name literally means ‘soldier’, cost €30.4m from Valencia and brought with him a fearsome reputation for aggression in front of goal. True, Palace kept him at bay for most of the game, but when his moment came he made the most of it.

That occurred five minutes into the second half when Aaron Lennon’s cross hit the outstretched arm of Dean Moxey as the defender tried in vain to intercept. It was perhaps a harsh award by referee Mark Clattenburg but was also the first penalty given in Tottenham’s favour since the 2011-12 season.