Crystal Palace have promised to issue a club ban to a spectator that was alleged to have racially abused Tottenham forward Son Heung-min during Saturday’s match.

Footage has circulated on social media of a man in the away end at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium allegedly making a racist gesture towards Son.

The incident occurred in the 89th minute of Spurs’ 1-0 win when South Korea captain Son was replaced by substitute Arnaut Danjuma but had to walk around the outside of the pitch and past the Palace travelling support.

A Palace statement said: “We are aware of a video circulating online (as well as reports made directly to us) regarding an individual in the away end at Spurs yesterday, appearing to make racist gestures towards Heung-min Son.

“Evidence has been shared with the police, and when he is identified, he will face a club ban. We will not tolerate such behaviour in our club.”

A Tottenham statement read: “We are aware of an allegation of racial abuse towards Heung-min Son during yesterday’s match.

“Discrimination of any kind is abhorrent and has no place in society, our game and at our club.

“We are working with Met Police and Crystal Palace to investigate and identify the individual involved.

“We will do everything in our powers to ensure that if found guilty, the individual will receive the strongest possible action – as was the case earlier this season when Son suffered similar racial abuse at Chelsea.”

Tottenham supporters’ group Spurs REACH, which stands for Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage, wrote on Twitter: “Why oh, who, oh why, do adults in this day and age think that this is an acceptable way to behave towards another human being?

“We sincerely hope that Crystal Palace Football Club identify and ban this individual for life!”

Son was also racially abused during a match between Chelsea and Tottenham at Stamford Bridge in August.

Chelsea banned a season-ticket holder indefinitely after footage emerged on social media of a fan in the home end making a racist gesture towards Son in the 2-2 draw.

The Crown Prosecution Service in March issued the Chelsea supporter with an order banning him from attending live football matches for three years.

Crystal Palace have promised to issue a club ban to a spectator that was alleged to have racially abused Tottenham forward Son Heung-min during Saturday’s match.

Footage has circulated on social media of a man in the away end at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium allegedly making a racist gesture towards Son.

The incident occurred in the 89th minute of Spurs’ 1-0 win when South Korea captain Son was replaced by substitute Arnaut Danjuma but had to walk around the outside of the pitch and past the Palace travelling support.

A Palace statement said: “We are aware of a video circulating online (as well as reports made directly to us) regarding an individual in the away end at Spurs yesterday, appearing to make racist gestures towards Heung-min Son.

“Evidence has been shared with the police, and when he is identified, he will face a club ban. We will not tolerate such behaviour in our club.”

A Tottenham statement read: “We are aware of an allegation of racial abuse towards Heung-min Son during yesterday’s match.

“Discrimination of any kind is abhorrent and has no place in society, our game and at our club.

“We are working with Met Police and Crystal Palace to investigate and identify the individual involved.

“We will do everything in our powers to ensure that if found guilty, the individual will receive the strongest possible action – as was the case earlier this season when Son suffered similar racial abuse at Chelsea.”

Tottenham supporters’ group Spurs REACH, which stands for Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage, wrote on Twitter: “Why oh, who, oh why, do adults in this day and age think that this is an acceptable way to behave towards another human being?

“We sincerely hope that Crystal Palace Football Club identify and ban this individual for life!”

Son was also racially abused during a match between Chelsea and Tottenham at Stamford Bridge in August.

Chelsea banned a season-ticket holder indefinitely after footage emerged on social media of a fan in the home end making a racist gesture towards Son in the 2-2 draw.

The Crown Prosecution Service in March issued the Chelsea supporter with an order banning him from attending live football matches for three years.

Tottenham have launched an investigation after it was alleged Son Heung-min was racially abused by a spectator during Saturday’s match with Crystal Palace.

Footage has circulated on social media of a man in the away end at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium allegedly making a racist gesture towards Son.

The alleged incident occurred in the 89th minute of Spurs’ 1-0 win when South Korea captain Son was replaced by substitute Arnaut Danjuma but had to walk around the outside of the pitch and past the Palace travelling support.

“We are aware of an allegation of racial abuse towards Heung-Min Son during yesterday’s match,” a Tottenham statement read.

“Discrimination of any kind is abhorrent and has no place in society, our game and at our club.

“We are working with Met Police and Crystal Palace to investigate and identify the individual involved.

“We will do everything in our powers to ensure that if found guilty, the individual will receive the strongest possible action – as was the case earlier this season when Son suffered similar racial abuse at Chelsea.”

The PA news agency has contacted Crystal Palace for comment.

Tottenham supporters’ group Spurs REACH, which stands for Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage, wrote on Twitter: “Why oh, who, oh why, do adults in this day and age think that this is an acceptable way to behave towards another human being?

“We sincerely hope that Crystal Palace Football Club identify and ban this individual for life!”

Son was also racially abused during a match between Chelsea and Tottenham at Stamford Bridge in August.

Chelsea banned a season-ticket holder indefinitely after footage emerged on social media of a fan in the home end making a racist gesture towards the Spurs attacker in the 2-2 draw.

The Crown Prosecution Service in March issued the Chelsea supporter with an order banning him from attending live football matches for three years.

Ryan Mason paid tribute to the collective after Tottenham claimed a first clean sheet in the Premier League since February.

Harry Kane’s first-half header, his 28th goal of the season, earned Spurs a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday that kept them in the hunt for a top-six finish.

Kane moved ahead of Wayne Rooney into second on the all-time Premier League goal-scorer list with his 209th top-flight strike but it was the other end of the pitch where Tottenham’s improvement was noticeable.

After conceding six at Newcastle and four at Liverpool during the last two weekends, Mason used his full week on the training pitch to tweak the 3-4-3 system used for the best part of 18 months since Antonio Conte took over.

Spurs went with a back four out of possession and it worked to good effect after Palace were limited to minimal chances with the hosts able to register a first league clean sheet since February 26 versus Chelsea.

“When you keep a clean sheet, it’s a collective. It’s everyone and everyone fought for the clean sheet,” Mason said.

“The players on the pitch but also the ones who didn’t because in the training week we’ve all worked hard together and they’re the results you want.

“We understand the importance of the win and the clean sheet as well is a great response from the players because maybe mentally when you concede so many goals in a short space of time, it can have an impact but the players have worked hard.

“The whole squad has worked hard on the training pitch. We’ve had a bit of time together to try and influence things and they responded. I thought it was a cagey game but overall we deserved the three points.”

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Spurs have spent the whole of this season using a 3-4-3 system but Cristian Stellini, who stepped up from assistant to replace Conte, went with a back four at Newcastle last month.

It ended up having disastrous consequences with Tottenham 5-0 down inside 21 minutes and Stellini ultimately losing his job as acting head coach as a result.

Mason hinted upon taking charge it would be hard for him to make changes for the Manchester United and Liverpool fixtures, but after a week on the training ground reverted to a back four, which he used in his previous caretaker spell in 2021.

He added: “We added a sixth man into the press and tried to be a bit more aggressive.

“I have to compliment the players because when you’ve been working in a certain way for so long, to make that change at this stage of the season it’s very positive for me.”

Roy Hodgson, who watched Crystal Palace lose for only a second time since his return, acknowledged the respect Spurs had given the visitors with their formation.

“I saw us on the ball for large periods of the game and I saw us attempting to get into the right areas,” he said.

“We didn’t have the success we had last week (against West Ham) or the weeks before, but that’s a credit to Tottenham deciding to defend as they did against us.

“It’s never easy to find that bit of space when there are a lot of players in and around the box.”

Frank Lampard believes Chelsea need to become “killers” in attack in order to build on an overdue victory and begin bridging the sizeable gap to the Premier League’s leading clubs.

The mid-table Blues on Saturday ended a nine-match winless run, including six successive defeats since Lampard was reappointed, by beating Bournemouth 3-1.

Conor Gallagher headed the visitors in front at Vitality Stadium but, after Matias Vina’s leveller, they were largely toothless going forward until late finishes from Benoit Badiashile and Joao Felix halted the prolonged slump.

While a top-half finish is the extent of Chelsea’s potential this season, they will hope to be challenging for Champions League qualification at the very least next term.

Interim manager Lampard, who is due to leave Stamford Bridge in the summer, feels the Blues must develop a ruthless streak in order to do that and suggested the club may need further recruits, despite having already spent more than £600million on transfers since Todd Boehly’s takeover.

“We controlled a lot of the game,” he said of the south-coast success.

“Without the killer instinct, we were running inside their box a lot in the first half, we had a lot of overloads on the side of the pitch.

“And as this team develops or as we add to the squad I think you have to be more killers at the top end of the pitch.

“If you look at the top half of the table, that’s what you will see all across it. At the moment, we haven’t got that. But you saw nice individual performances in a positive direction.”

Two-time European champions Chelsea sit in 11th position, a staggering 40 points behind leaders Manchester City and well adrift of the top four.

Travelling supporters celebrated the long-awaited triumph with self-deprecating cries of ‘we are staying up’, having earlier directed derogatory chants at American businessman Boehly.

Lampard backed the club’s owners to eventually be successful following a dismal first campaign at the helm.

“The fans have been used to a lot of success, they want a lot of success,” said the former Blues midfielder.

“What I do know is the fans will stick with this club. I do know there are a lot of intentions to take this club where we want to get it to again.

“There’s not one club out there of our size that hasn’t had transitional periods.

“People would give a left arm to have the success we’ve had for 20 years, so if it’s our year where we have to go again and work a bit and try and come back stronger next year, everyone stick together, then I’m sure we will.”

The west London club move on to meetings with relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest, reigning champions City, and Champions League hopefuls Manchester United and Newcastle.

Lampard is concerned left-back Ben Chilwell will be unavailable for the run-in after he limped off against the Cherries.

“It’s a hamstring injury,” he said.

“We don’t know if it’s serious but with a hamstring injury at this stage of the season it’s clearly a worry for the last few games.”

Bournemouth began the weekend level on 39 points with Chelsea and had the better chances for a winner before suffering late disappointment, with Badiashile’s pivotal strike coming from Hakim Ziyech’s free-kick into the penalty area.

The Cherries have the worst record in the division for conceding goals from set-pieces, an issue head coach Gary O’Neil is eager to address.

“We’ve struggled with defending balls into the box,” he said. “We’re obviously aware of it and it’s something we need to improve.

“I’m hopeful we can put some work in now week to week but then we can put things in place for next season to make us much stronger in that area.”

Ilkay Gundogan accepted his share of the blame after Premier League leaders Manchester City failed to beat relegation-threatened Leeds by a convincing scoreline on Saturday.

The German midfielder scored both of City’s goals as they maintained their title charge with a 2-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium but his late missed penalty opened the door for a potential Leeds fightback.

Regular penalty-taker and top scorer Erling Haaland passed up the chance to score from the spot to allow club captain Gundogan a shot at a first career hat-trick, but things almost went badly wrong.

Gundogan’s effort in the 84th minute smacked the post and Leeds scored just moments later through Rodrigo.

Suddenly, a game City had completely dominated until that point ended in a frantic finish but the hosts held on.

Manager Pep Guardiola was far from impressed by the episode and Gundogan held his hands up.

“It was a good performance,” said Gundogan. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to transmit that performance into the result.

“It feels like this game should have been won by at least three goals’ difference.

“We had a lot of possession, we were able to create a lot of chances. The negative is that we were not able to score a third one.

“The game could have been over in the first half and, of course, also in the second. We had plenty of chances – myself included, unfortunately – to score a third one.

“Conceding quite an easy goal made the last five to 10 minutes a little bit nervous for us, which should not have happened. It’s another experience that we take on board.”

That incident aside, Gundogan was outstanding, putting his side in command by sweeping home from Riyad Mahrez passes on the edge of the area in the 19th and 27th minutes.

City could have increased their lead several times over with Haaland going close on a number of occasions, including hitting the woodwork twice himself.

Gundogan feels it is important City, who now face Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday, continue to set high standards as they chase the treble.

He said: “Some people say it’s more important to win than play well, which might be true, but I think that’s just not our standard.

“Of course we want to win games but also we want to keep playing the way we have done here.

“There’s just a few games left until the season is over and every game is like a final right now.”

Until their late flurry, Leeds offered little in Sam Allardyce’s first match in charge and they remain in deep trouble at the bottom of the table.

Allardyce has just three games – tough fixtures against Newcastle, West Ham and Tottenham – to steer them to safety.

It looks a daunting task but the 68-year-old is determined to get the best out of his players.

He said: “Even though my position is head coach I am a manager, and my biggest strength is making people feel better, making people do better.

“Since Monday with (assistants) Karl Robinson and Robbie Keane and the staff already here, we’re working diligently to make the team better.

“We haven’t stopped talking for the last four days, and not just daytime. We’ve been together all night, every night, plotting, talking and trying to find the right formula.”

Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper switches off from the stress of the Premier League relegation battle by going running along the River Trent.

Forest are embroiled in a fight to retain their top-flight status in their first season back after 23 years away, with Monday’s clash against Southampton likely to be decisive in their bid to beat the drop.

Cooper has had plenty thrown at him this term, with concerns over keeping his job, a lengthy injury list and having to integrate 30 new signings into his squad, but the phone-free jogs along the river have been helpful.

“The thing I like to do is a lot of running,” he said.

“I enjoy it. I don’t take my phone with me. I’m not a big user of my phone anyway. The two places I definitely don’t have it are out on the training pitch and if I want to go for a run.

“It’s something where you can take your mind to where you want it to be and I’m sure there’s quite a few people who do the same.

“I make a lot of decisions when I’m out running. I think about a lot of things. It’s even good when you feel frustrated or stress.

“Whatever I’m feeling before a run, I feel better for it afterwards.

“I run along the river a lot. It’s lovely along there, especially when you’re running towards the City Ground.”

Erik ten Hag has long admired Sir Alex Ferguson’s successor David Moyes and knows Manchester United have to be at their best to beat his West Ham side this weekend.

Monday marks the 10th anniversary of the huge announcement that the Scot was stepping down after 26 medal-laden years in the Old Trafford dugout.

Ferguson bowed out on the back of a 13th league title – heights United have not reached since then, enduring their fair share of ups, downs and fallow periods.

Moyes was the first man to step into the breach and sacked before the end of the 2013-14 season, with the 60-year-old now in charge of a West Ham outfit hosting United on Sunday.

Asked if he was pleased to be the fifth permanent successor to Ferguson rather than the first, Ten Hag said: “It’s hypothetical, so you’ll never know.

“But it’s quite clear when you have to succeed Sir Alex that is a big challenge and that is a really difficult job to do.

“So, yeah, he did it, he had the bravery to do it, so that’s why I think I admire him that much. He’s also that long already with many clubs in the Premier League, so it’s a great manager with a lot of skills.

“I know my team has to be their best on Sunday. We have to play our maximum if we want to get the result we need, and that’s a win.”

United are looking to tighten their grip on a Champions League spot on Sunday with fifth-placed Liverpool hot on their heels.

Ten Hag’s side have two games in hand on their rivals but the gap sharpens the mind, which could also be beneficial given the all-Manchester FA Cup final against City looms on June 3.

“I’m telling them for every game, for every training – you have to be ready for every game in the Premier League,” he said.

“If you want to be in four competitions, you have to be so well prepared, you need so much energy, you need a good game plan and you have to go every game again.

“You can’t do it in 99 per cent, you have to do it 100 per cent and you have to do it over the full 95 minutes.

“That’s why we like it, top players like it, to have huge challenges, but it costs energy.

“But that’s our job, it’s our responsibility, we have to take it and we lay this aside Sunday. We go again and I’m sure we will be there.”

West Ham have had a free week to prepare for United’s visit, whereas United are reeling from being stung at the death in Thursday’s late 1-0 loss at Brighton.

It has been a relentless schedule as the Red Devils balanced domestic and Europa League exertions for much of the season, but Ten Hag believes they have handled it well.

“(The schedule) has already an impact on the whole season, and we are doing quite well,” he said.

“We’re not doing quite well, we’re doing really well. We have a big disadvantage against others. West Ham United, I think, is a team who has the worst schedule, but then us.

“But then we showed all season already we can deal with that. We are physical and mental very strong.”

United need to keep that going for another month without overstepping the mark.

“We have to keep our heads,” Ten Hag added. “Clear. But also I demand passion and desire from my players because if you want to win games, you need that and I think it brought us to where we are now.”

Leicester boss Dean Smith believes Jamie Vardy can still flourish in the autumn of his career.

The 36-year-old has returned to form in recent weeks, scoring in the last two games to help the Foxes out of the Premier League relegation zone, having previously gone 19 outings without a goal.

The story of Vardy’s ascent to the top of the game is well known and Smith believes that him not coming through the system in a traditional way can help him now.

“It doesn’t surprise me at all – this is someone who’s scored 136 Premier League goals,” Smith said of Vardy’s resurgence ahead of Monday’s vital clash with Fulham.

“You don’t lose that. I expected that (pace) to still be there.

“What I’ve seen from him is the desire to still keep wanting it, from the runs he’s making. His running numbers are really good from Monday night.

“His story is synonymous with someone who came into the professional game a little bit later.

“So he’s probably not had all of those games before – at academy level for instance. So I don’t see why he can’t flourish in his later years.”

Much was made of whether former boss Brendan Rodgers played to Vardy’s strengths, something that Smith has seemed to do in the last few games.

“I didn’t watch too many of the games to see if he was playing to his strengths,” Smith added.

“He didn’t get as much pitch time as probably he would’ve liked, but I wasn’t here so I don’t really know.

“Shakey’s (assistant boss Craig Shakespeare) worked with him before and knows him as a person and a player.

“I know him as a player who’s been up against teams I’ve managed before.

“He’s always a threat on the shoulder – just talking to their coaches after the game, they just tell their centre-halves to keep an eye on their shoulders, because he’ll be on one of them, and he was.”

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has praised Callum Wilson’s emphatic response to the challenge presented to him by record signing Alexander Isak.

The 31-year-old England striker has plundered eight goals in his last seven games, four of them from the bench with Howe having rotated the former Bournemouth frontman and his £60million summer capture in the face of a gruelling schedule.

Wilson, whose form was questioned in some quarters following his return from the World Cup finals, has twice been rested in the game after scoring two goals as a starter, but has channelled his frustration in exactly the way Howe hoped he would.

The Magpies’ head coach said: “He is certainly in great form. He is very focused at the moment. He knows he has to be because of the competition he has around him.

“The biggest compliment I can pay him is that he has always been himself – bubbly, bright, laughing, joking, a really positive character. He is someone that the squad needs to be positive, because he is such a big personality within it.

“That has helped him when he has come on the pitch and delivered for us. I’m delighted for him, personally, because he can react two ways to that challenge laid down to him – and he has responded how I hoped he would.”

Wilson made two appearances for his country as a substitute in Qatar without finding the back of the net, and went eight games without a goal on his return.

However asked if it had been foolish to question his ability to continue as the club’s main marksman at that point, Howe said: “It’s natural at this elite level that players are under scrutiny. Their performances are broken down to the ninth degree, and not just by me as the manager, but also by you guys in the press.

“I think he will understand that comes with the territory at this level.”

Wilson, who helped himself to a double in last Sunday’s 3-1 win over Southampton after being introduced as a second-half substitute, will hope for a chance to repeat the feat against high-flying Arsenal this weekend with Newcastle hoping to ease themselves closer to Champions League qualification.

Beyond that, a continuation of his current form could yet earn him a return to the England squad.

Asked about his international prospects, Howe said: “That is one for [manager] Gareth [Southgate], but he is certainly doing everything he needs to do. He is scoring goals and that is always going to get you in the headlines.”

David Moyes has one last chance to avoid a damning statistic when West Ham host Manchester United on Sunday.

The Hammers, battling to stay in the Premier League, have yet to beat one of the traditional ‘big six’ clubs this season.

Home draws with Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal are the only points they have taken from 11 fixtures, with Wednesday’s 3-0 defeat at Manchester City completing a miserable set of six away losses.

Last season West Ham beat Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea on their way to finishing seventh, but this term has been a grim battle against relegation.

“I actually thought last year, we were due to beat some of the big teams and we did,” said Moyes.

“Some of the games we gave them really good games and of course, there were some games that we couldn’t really compete. I remember beating Liverpool and a couple of others last season.

“This year, we don’t feel as if we’ve been quite at that level, I am not saying we have been far off, but we’ve been trying to get back to it.

“I just think we are in a little bit better form than we were earlier on in the season. We played well at Old Trafford, we were a little bit unlucky at Chelsea away, even against Arsenal we were 1-0 up at half-time and we’ve just come back from Manchester City being 0-0 at half-time.

“So a lot of these games we have been in them and even Arsenal we got back to 2-2 after being 2-0 down. I think we’ve been close in a lot of the games, whether we’ve just been tipped over the edge to win them like we were last year, we’ve not shown it as much this season.”

Declan Rice, Tomas Soucek and Nayef Aguerd are expected to return after missing the City match due to being laid low by a sickness bug in the camp.

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah wants to keep breaking records after another landmark goal secured a 1-0 victory over Brentford.

The Egypt international struck from close range in the 13th minute for his 30th of the season – the fourth time in six campaigns he has reached that mark – and his 100th goal at Anfield.

He became the first Liverpool player to score in nine successive home matches and in doing so went level with Steven Gerrard in fifth place in the club’s all-time goalscoring list with 186.

“It means a lot to me. I said before, I feel (at) home here, I’m happy,” he told Sky Sports.

“It’s something that makes me proud, to be fair. I work really hard and everybody knows that, everybody sees that.

“I’m just motivated to keep breaking records and just scoring goals and winning games for the team.”

Manager Jurgen Klopp has almost run out of ways to describe the 30-year-old’s continued excellence during their time together at the club.

“The numbers he creates, we all know that after his career he will be seen as one of the all-time greats, that’s clear,” said the Reds boss.

“But now he is still in the career and some people might not appreciate him enough, but we do.

“He deserves all the praise he gets already and he will get even more after his career, that’s how it is, because in a club with the all-time greats we had in the past, being the first one who scores in nine consecutive home games is super-special.

“Scoring again 30 goals this season is super-special and setting up a lot of goals as well – he is so often involved in our goals, not only with the assist or the finish, very often with the second or third-last pass as well which is as important.”

A sixth successive victory – and their third in a week – moved Liverpool to within a point of fourth-placed Manchester United, who have two matches in hand.

“Winning three in a row at home is absolutely special. It will not be a game the people in the stadium tell their grandchildren about but it’s a game (where) there was a lot to enjoy because the fight was exceptional,” added Klopp.

“The focus level the boys showed was exceptional, the concentration top and again a lot of good signs for us, how we could look in the future.

“We have to do that more consistent, we have to learn, we have to adapt, but a lot of good signs and I am really pleased with that.”

Brentford head coach Thomas Frank felt his side deserved more from their display.

“I think, in many ways,  we performed enough to get something from this game,” he said.

“I was very happy with the performance. The goal we could have done better in the second phase on a set-piece but besides that I thought we got better and better.”

Mohamed Salah’s goal in a 1-0 win over Brentford propelled Liverpool closer to the Premier League top four and deflected attention away from the booing of the national anthem at Anfield on coronation day.

The pre-match playing of ‘God Save the King’ was roundly jeered by the majority of fans, who have not forgiven the establishment for its attitude to the city in the 1980s and, more recently, the handling of the Hillsborough disaster and the fight for justice.

But with the airing of the first bars of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ the atmosphere flipped and Salah kicked off the celebrations with yet another milestone goal in a career of Liverpool landmarks.

While his 13th-minute finish was far from his classiest, requiring two touches from four yards to bundle home Virgil van Dijk’s header, it was significant for being his 100th at Anfield. He became the first Liverpool player to score in nine successive home matches in all competitions.

The statistics continue to rack up as it was the third successive season – and fourth in six – he had reached 30 in a campaign and it took him level with Steven Gerrard in fifth place on the club’s all-time goalscoring list with 186.

A sixth successive win also moved Liverpool within a point of fourth-placed Manchester United and three away from Newcastle in third, teams who play the first of their two matches in hand on Sunday against West Ham and Arsenal respectively.

Manager Jurgen Klopp restored Cody Gakpo to the team as one of four forwards named but with captain Jordan Henderson not fully fit he was asked to perform a role on the right of midfield, although what was more unusual was seeing Van Dijk booked as early as the fifth minute for going through the back of Frank Onyeka.

Much has been made of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s passing from a new hybrid midfield position but it was Fabinho, in his more traditional holding role, who set up the opener, with his chip over a crowded penalty area picking out Van Dijk to nod back to the far post where Salah pounced.

For a long time the Kop has worshipped its own King Kenny (Dalglish) – with a pre-match banner recognising that very fact – but Salah’s progression into the ranks of club greats has long been assured, with his brilliance matched by unerring consistency.

Not to be outdone Alexander-Arnold’s brilliant lob picked out Darwin Nunez but the Uruguayan’s finish could not match the quality of the pass.

The Liverpool right-back’s control of the ball was not so clever deep inside his own half, however, as he was caught in possession by Bryan Mbeumo, but Van Dijk got back to cover as Ivan Toney closed in on goalkeeper Alisson Becker.

Toney then drilled a low free-kick just wide as Brentford showed they were not prepared to accept their hosts’ dominance, with Mbeumo then having a goal ruled out for offside after getting in behind Van Dijk from Toney’s first-time pass.

The visitors started the second half in similar fashion but would have gone further behind had Gakpo been able to get his body in a position to convert Diogo Jota’s cross which was drilled at him, instead the Dutchman could only divert the ball away from goal from three yards out.

But with Liverpool struggling to gain control of the game, conceding too many set-pieces against a side so proficient in dead-ball situations, the Kop sought to entertain themselves with another rendition of ‘You can stick your coronation up your a***’ – first aired in midweek – soon followed by ‘Kenny is our King’.

As Brentford continued to pose more of a growing threat as they pushed for an equaliser, Alexander-Arnold’s drive forced a fingertip save from David Raya and Gakpo volleyed wide to relieve some of the tension.

The introduction of Henderson and James Milner into midfield, for Curtis Jones and Jota, suggested Klopp was happy to hang onto what they had at the end of their third match in a week and his caution was duly rewarded.

Tottenham interim boss Ryan Mason believes there are still elements of Harry Kane’s contribution to the team that go underappreciated.

The stadium announcer was still in the midst of declaring one minute of first-half added time when Kane connected with Pedro Porro’s whipped cross and nodded in the eventual winner as Tottenham beat Crystal Palace 1-0.

Kane’s strike, his 209th in the Premier League, also moved him ahead of Wayne Rooney and into outright second on the all-time top scorer list.

Mason said: “Naturally we’ll all talk about Harry’s goals and Harry when he plays games of football he will continue to score goals. We know that.

“But also that elite mindset, that example that he sets every day in and around the place, it’s great to be around. Because when you have people like that they inspire you to be better and we appreciate Harry, we value him so much at this football club.”

The England captain’s 28th goal in all competitions this season leaves him 51 behind all-time Premier League leader Alan Shearer, who netted 260 in the top flight.

“Harry is certainly one player that is focused every game to be the best version of himself every time he is out on that football pitch, whether it’s the training ground or on matchday, so hopefully Harry continues to play and I’m sure he’ll continue to score goals.”
Mason remained pragmatic when asked if Kane was set to break that mark, saying: “I don’t really like speaking too much about the future because from personal experience I know that you can’t really plan too much far ahead in football terms and in life, and you’ve got to be in the moment.

Saturday’s victory was a subdued affair but enough to secure Mason a first victory in his second spell in charge of Spurs.

Roy Hodgson’s Palace, meanwhile, had a handful of chances and were kept in it by several good saves from Sam Johnstone, who has in recent weeks usurped Vicente Guaita as his boss’ first-choice keeper.

The former England manager was more forthcoming about 29-year-old Kane’s chances at surpassing Shearer, saying: “I would expect it, you know his age, he’s got several good years ahead of him and he doesn’t get injured very often, touch wood.

“I think the only thing that stands between him and the record will be is he going to avoid serious injury? Is he going to be able to get 20, 30 matches a year behind him? Is he going to get help from his team-mates and play in a good team which is what he has been playing in?

“If all those things take place I expect him to break the record, absolutely.”

Hodgson departed from Mason when asked if Kane was to some degree still viewed as an underrated talent.

He added: “You’re talking maybe for a body of football fans and football people that I don’t know. I don’t know who they are, I don’t know what they’re saying, but I can guarantee that none of us that work in football on a serious basis in what I call the football village, there’s none of us that have that opinion.”

Frank Lampard encouraged his players to celebrate with a beer or glass of wine after Chelsea took a “small step forward” by halting their six-match losing streak with a 3-1 win at Bournemouth.

Late goals from Benoit Badiashile and Joao Felix earned the Blues an overdue victory after Cherries defender Matias Vina cancelled out Conor Gallagher’s early header at Vitality Stadium.

Success on the south coast was Lampard’s first since returning to Stamford Bridge on an interim basis a month ago and a fitting way to cap his 100th game in Premier League management.

The former England and Blues midfielder urged his team to embrace the club’s first triumph in almost two months but warned they cannot ease off going into their final four fixtures of a dismal campaign.

“They should enjoy it and we’re happy because when you don’t have that feeling for a while, it gradually knocks you down,” said Lampard.

“It was very evident in the dressing room from coming in that there was a lot of picking up that needed to be done and unfortunately you need results to come in line with that to keep you stepping forward, so that’s been tough.

“Today was a nice small step forward.

“The lads are all human, we’re all affected in similar ways when you’re not winning games or you don’t feel like you’re at your best and the only way to get through that is to fight and to work through it.

“I’ve been in relative periods where they’re tough, so absolutely they should enjoy tonight and have a beer or have a glass of wine or do whatever they do.

“But we cannot take our foot of the pedal in terms of trying to take steps forward until the end of this season because it’s important.”

Victory in Dorset moved the two-time European champions on to 42 points, three ahead of their hosts, albeit they remain in the bottom half of the table.

Bournemouth had the better of the chances before the late drama, with Dango Ouattara squandering a golden opening by heading over from inside the six-yard box.

Badiashile and Felix punished that profligacy in the final eight minutes, leaving Chelsea supporters to salute the long-awaited win with ironic chants of “we are staying up”.

Some of the away end had jeered substitutes Hakim Ziyech and Raheem Sterling but the pair responded by claiming assists for Badiashile and Felix respectively.

Lampard hopes to help rebuild the bond between fans and players and backed the under-fire duo to show their true class following underwhelming campaigns.

“Our fans were fantastic today so I personally appreciate their support,” said Lampard.

“I appreciate we had a moment on the end of the pitch where everyone feels good for a day.

“I think that’s important to build a connection between players and fans.

“Opinion can always change in a period but Hakim and Raheem want to do well, as football players they’ve got big talent both of them.

“I think their class is permanent and I’m pleased for them for having some impact when they came on.”

Bournemouth boss Gary O’Neil rued his side’s missed opportunities.

“I thought it was an even contest,” he said. “There were lots of bits in it that I liked.

“When we were on top, Vina has a one-on-one where Kepa (Arrizabalaga) makes a good save, Kepa makes a great block from Dango as well from four, five yards out and obviously the massive chance, Dango’s free header.

“If we get our noses in front then the game will probably finish very differently.

“I’m disappointed we weren’t clinical enough and then we get punished at the other end.

“We were well in the game.”