Tottenham kept up the pressure on Premier League leaders Chelsea as Christian Eriksen’s superb long-range strike secured a hard-fought victory at Crystal Palace.
Spurs had struggled to break down a disciplined Palace side for much of the game and it looked like they would have to settle for a point.
But Eriksen fired into the bottom corner from 30 yards late on to keep Spurs within four points of Chelsea with five games remaining.
Palace, who lost influential defender Mamadou Sakho to injury in the second half, rarely threatened as they concentrated on frustrating the visitors.
The win means Tottenham move on to 74 points, surpassing their previous best ever Premier League total of 72 – set in 2012-13 – when they finished fifth.
Palace, meanwhile, remain 12th – seven points above the relegation zone.
Crystal Palace manager Sam Allardyce: “Outstanding team effort by the players, who have had less time to recover against an exceptionally good side.
“Our application was outstanding and we gave Tottenham a hell of a game in the first half, nip and tuck, but of course it would happen that we would tire given the lack of recovery time compared to Tottenham.”
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino: “It was unbelievable. Very good performance. I think second half we played much better than in the first half. It was difficult in the first half for us to move the ball and find the space but we changed the shape at half time and it was more fluid, we started to find the space and started to push Palace deeper and deeper.
“It was good to get the three points and be alive in the race for the title. The challenge is to keep going. It is always better to win but it is true [the Arsenal game] is a big derby, perhaps the last at White Hart Lane and I think it will be an exciting game.”
