A few firsts - and one last - against Palace
Crystal Palace have provided the opposition for a number of notable firsts in N17 over the years - and one particularly notable last.
That 'last' came over 12 years ago now when legendary former striker Jermain Defoe scored his 143rd and last goal in Lilywhite before moving on for a new challenge in the MLS with Toronto FC.
'JD' came off the bench to fire home goal number 143 in 363 appearances in two spells, 2004-2008/2009-2014 - and remains our seventh all-time goalscorer.
He was soon back in the UK with impressive spells at Sunderland and Rangers - where he won the SPL title - to finish his career with 305 goals in 763 games.
That's the 'last' - here are a few firsts...
1969 | Stevie P's first goal
Fully 63 years after our first meeting, we faced Palace in competitive action for the first time in the Football League at White Hart Lane on Boxing Day, 1969. It was a day to remember for legendary former skipper Steve Perryman, just 18 at the time, scoring his first Spurs goal in a 2-0 victory, Alan Mullery also on target. That was 'Stevie P's' 15th game - he went on to make a Club record 854 appearances in all competitions between 1969-1986.
1992 | First Premier League goal
It would be fair to say we made a somewhat inauspicious start to life in the Premier League when football's new era arrived in 1992/93 - our first two matches were a goalless draw at Southampton and 2-0 loss at home against Coventry City. Thankfully, we broke our duck in the next game as Gordon Durie headed home from Paul Allen's cross for our first-ever Premier League goal against Palace at the Lane on 22 August, 1992. That game ended 2-2 and we eventually finished eighth.
2015 | Sonny's first Premier League goal
Just days after his debut at Sunderland and first goals for us against FC Qarabag in the UEFA Europa League, Heung-Min Son opened his Premier League account for us against Palace at the Lane - 20 September, 2015. It was a trademark Sonny finish, sent away by Christian Eriksen, the South Korea star shifted left of Brede Hangeland before drilling low past Alex McCarthy. That was the first of Sonny's 127 PL goals and his total of 173 goals for us in 454 appearances, 2015-2025, he sits fifth in our all-time scoring list.
2019 | First game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Two of Sonny's magic moments in a Spurs shirt arrived in the space of a week in April, 2019. First up, that incredible night we officially opened Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with the visit of Palace in the Premier League. First goalscorer? Sonny, of course, shifting onto his left foot before firing home from the edge of the box. Christian Eriksen completed the 2-0 win. That was Wednesday 3 April - six days later, Sonny scored the first European goal at the stadium, a crucial UEFA Champions League quarter-final, first leg winner against Manchester City as we won the first leg 1-0 before that amazing second leg at City as we made it to the final in Madrid.