LONDON // Tottenham Hotspur defender Jan Vertonghen admitted Crystal Palace were no pushovers as Roberto Soldado scored on his Spurs debut to claim a 1-0 win at Selhurst Park.
Without Real Madrid target Gareth Bale, ruled out because of a foot injury, Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas handed starts to Paulinho, Nacer Chadli and Soldado, with the latter the most impressive.
The Spain striker, signed from Valencia for a club record £26 million (Dh149.1m), troubled the Palace defence throughout with his movement and he dispatched a second-half penalty to win the match after Dean Moxey handled Aaron Lennon's cross.
Vertonghen passed a late fitness test to start in defence and was relieved to claim a win in the new-look Tottenham side.
"That's what we wanted. We couldn't get a loss here," Vertonghen told Sky Sports 1.
"Of course we want to do better but this was about getting the win for us. Next time we will score more goals."
Crystal Palace manager Ian Holloway was left vexed by the referee Mark Clattenburg's decision to award Spurs their penalty that led to Soldado's winner.
"I don't understand how it was a penalty, or how Dean Moxey could have got out of the way of it. I had three players right behind him," Holloway told BBC 1.
"It's going to be a long hard season for me with these people [referees]. I had this with Blackpool. Certain clubs get fouls and others don't. Tottenham will feel that if they play Man United.
For Nacer Chadli, who made his Spurs debut following his summer transfer from Dutch side FC Twente, the first game of the season was more about settling into the English game.
He said: "I really enjoyed it. It was a nice game with plenty of chances. It's most important to get three points."
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The 12
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
The six points:
1. Ministers should be in the field, instead of always at conferences
2. Foreign diplomacy must be left to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation
3. Emiratisation is a top priority that will have a renewed push behind it
4. The UAE's economy must continue to thrive and grow
5. Complaints from the public must be addressed, not avoided
6. Have hope for the future, what is yet to come is bigger and better than before
What She Ate: Six Remarkable Women & the Food That Tells Their Stories
Laura Shapiro
Fourth Estate
