Roberto Soldado Tottenham
Reuters

Roberto Solado began his Tottenham career with a winning penalty in the 50th minute to lead Spurs to a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday at Selhurst Park.

The Eagles defender Dean Moxey gave Tottenham the penalty with a hand ball on Aaron Lennon’s cross, and Soldado did the rest.

Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas needed a spark on the attack with star Gareth Bale sitting out with a foot injury. Real Madrid’s pursuit of the Welshman has also been a slight distraction for Tottenham, but that did not show on Sunday.

Soldado was brought in for a club record £26 million earlier this summer, and was relentlessly on the attack throughout the match.

Overall, Tottenham dominated the match with 18 shots to the Eagles five, though only three were on target. Spurs Gylfi Sigurdsson and Jermain Defoe could have put the game away with their open attempts in the second half, but failed to convert.

Crystal Palace keeper Julian Speroni earned two saves, and clearly inspired his backline, which largely staved off Tottenham’s attack.

Tottenham will host Swansea in a week, while Crystal Palace will next travel to Stoke City.

Crystal Palace 0 - 1 Tottenham Hotspurby warrant