Crystal Palace v Tottenham Hotspur: Premier League – live! | Football

Both these teams prefer to play on the break, so there might be a bit of a stand-off at the start of the game. The 2,000 Palace fans at Selhurst Park will probably have something to say about that.

Southampton 3-0 Sheffield United was the score in the early Premier League game. Che Adams, Stuart Armstrong and Nathan Redmond scored in a match that was even more one-sided than the score suggests. The result moves Southampton up to third in the table. God bless Ralph Hasenhuttl.

Gareth Bale is not in the Spurs squad. He’s unwell, though Jose Mourinho stresses he has tested negative for Covid. Dele Alli gets a place on the bench as a result.

Crystal Palace (4-4-2) Guaita; Clyne, Kouyate, Cahill, van Aanholt; Schlupp, Milivojevic, McArthur, Eze; Benteke, Zaha.
Substitutes: Butland, Ward, Tomkins, Townsend, Riedewald, Ayew, Batshuayi.

Tottenham Hotspur (4-2-3-1) Lloris; Aurier, Alderweireld, Dier, Reguilon; Sissoko, Hojbjerg; Bergwijn, Ndombele, Son; Kane.
Substitutes: Hart, Doherty, Rodon, Davies, Lo Celso, Alli, Lucas Moura.

Referee Kevin Friend.

Guess who’s back
Back again
Jose’s back
Tell a friend
Guess who’s back, guess who’s back, etc etc

Truly, the Premier League has been so empty without Jose Mourinho. Sure, he’s been around, but not in any recognisable form; an evil twin called the Sour One. His Manager of the Month award for November – the first since 2007, which is absurd – adds to the growing feeling that Mourinho might be back as a relevant, title-challenging force. Better still, the story has a twist: for the first time he is in the role of dark horse, trying to challenge the establish elite rather than look down on them.

This is a big week in the arc of Spurs and Mourinho. They start with a tricky trip to Crystal Palace, a side who love bloodying superior noses; then they travel to Anfield for a rare old humdinger against Liverpool; and next Sunday they are at home to away specialists Leicester. If they win all three, a title challenge will be well and truly on.

Kick off 2.15pm.