56 mins: Jan-Paul van Hecke finds himself in the area and has a shot that’s charged down at close range. Pierre Sage, who sounds to me like a French philosopher, chews on his pipe and ponders some changes.

“Everything that’s wrong with VAR in 90 odd seconds: even if that is a red card challenge – spoiler, it’s not and never will be – has Oliver made a clear and obvious error in showing a yellow? The answer, my friend, is no.”

There seems a consensus that it was harsh, but for me, Mateta dived in and caught Van de Ven’s heel with his studs. Not saying he meant it, but without a VAR intervention, I imagine some people would be saying Palace got away with one.

Tottenham Hotspur (4-2-3-1): Kinsky; Gray, van Hecke, van de Ven, Robertson; Fernandes, Tonali; Kudus, Marmoush, Tel; Solanke.
Subs: Dubravka, Senesi, Gallagher, Maddison, Udogie, Kulusevski, Porro, Davies, Williams-Barnet.

Crystal Palace (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Richards, Disasi, Canvot; Mingueza, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell; McNeil, Pino; Mateta.
Subs: Benitez, Lerma, Nketiah, Hughes, Osorio, Khalaili, Doucoure, Guessand, Chilwell.

Referee: Michael Oliver.

By recent standards, it’s been a very successful fortnight for Spurs. Two Premier League wins on the bounce have lifted Roberto De Zerbi’s side up the table, and they can now also lay claim to having developed the best men’s footballer in the world.

Harry Kane usually enjoyed games against Crystal Palace, scoring 11 goals in 20 appearances against the Eagles. Palace have won on their last two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, though, including a hellish 3-1 defeat in March that left Spurs staring into the abyss.

Tottenham are seeking a trouble-free victory today as proof that those dark days are finally behind them. Defeat for Palace, meanwhile, could push them closer to the trapdoor and pile pressure on Pierre Sage. Kick-off: 5.30pm GMT.