Despite being held to a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace, English Premier League (EPL) leaders Tottenham Hotspurs continue to stave off advances from Liverpool on Sunday (December 13).

The Jose Mourinho-managed Hotspurs started their Selhurst Park away match convincingly, dominating possession and dictating the flow of the game.

The effort paid off in the 23rd minute, as Son Heung-min fed fellow striker Harry Kane, whose early shot catches out Guaita from distance to give the Spurs a deserved lead.

The first half certainly belonged to an entertaining but solid Tottenham, which seemed in cruise control; little did they know Crystal Palace was building its counteroffensive.

The Palace pressure steadily built in the second half, with the Roy Hodgson-led hosts coming close in the 69th—when striker Christian Benteke’s header finds Jeffrey Schlupp in space in front of the goal. The Ghanaian couldn’t make a clean connection, swiping well wide.

Pressing on, Benteke made another attempt on goal in the 78th-minute trying to capitalise on a corner kick but powered his header just over the crossbar.

The equaliser came four minutes later, Tottenham found themselves in trouble as keeper Hugo Lloris struggled to handle an Eberechi Eze free-kick and Schlupp, making no mistake, was on hand to smash it home.

Crystal Palace, which only won two of its last five EPL bouts, eeked out a well-deserved draw and a share of the points, leaving the team at 11th place with 17 points.

An unhappy Mourinho, speaking after the match, said his players failed to put the game he expected them to win out of Crystal Palace’s reach, and the result spoke for itself.

“After a time, I could predict what could happen in the second half. I want to believe our boys didn’t do better because of Palace, because they pressed. They didn’t let us have the ball the way we had it in the first half and I have to give them credit,” Mourinho argued.

“You need to kill the game. If you don’t kill the game you are always on the edge,” he added.

Tottenham, tied on 25 points with Liverpool, (which also was helf to a 1-1 draw with Fulham) meet the defending champions at Anfield on Wednesday in a top-of-the-table EPL clash.