Roy Hodgson turned on his heel and marched back towards the bench. The Crystal Palace manager’s stony-faced fury told the story. Football can be the cruellest of pursuits and how Hodgson felt it shortly after the hour at the home of English football – a venue that had been kind to him during his time in charge of England.

His Palace team had held Tottenham Hotspur at arm’s length and created a clutch of chances to take the lead. Paulo Gazzaniga, the third-choice goalkeeper for Tottenham, had been the reason why it remained goalless while Wilfried Zaha had blown a glorious chance in the 57th minute.

In a heartbeat the game turned, however, and Hodgson had that sinking feeling. Son Heung-min’s winner was a beautifully executed finish, quite out of keeping with the rest of his performance and that of his team. The South Korea forward’s body shape was perfect and he got his left-foot shot to bend back into the corner of the net from a yard or so outside the post.

Hodgson could curse how the ball had reached Son. After Danny Rose had jinked inside and seen a shot blocked, Moussa Sissoko continued the move with a low cross from the right. Yohan Cabaye had the chance to clear but he succeeded only in playing it straight to the Spurs man. The attacker did the rest and Palace could not rouse themselves thereafter.

It was a curious afternoon for Mauricio Pochettino and his players. After the epic Champions League win against Real Madrid on Wednesday, they could not muster the same verve; the manager admitted it was “not the best performance” and his side needed “some luck to win”. On the other hand, undeserved victories do have their charm.

Pochettino’s inclusion of Gazzaniga, for his Tottenham debut, had been unexpected. With Hugo Lloris out with an adductor muscle problem, Michel Vorm had been in line for a rare Premier League opportunity but he twisted a knee in training on Saturday.

Gazzaniga embraced the opportunity but only after flirting with disaster at the start. Three minutes were on the clock when Zaha – a player whom Spurs covet – curled in a lovely cross for Mamadou Sakho. The defender had the run on Gazzaniga but he could not get a touch when, perhaps, he should have done.

It is possible that he was spooked by the sight of Gazzaniga leaping wildly in his direction and, when the ball was gone, the goalkeeper essentially clotheslined him. Penalty? It seemed like the sort of action that would have been penalised outside the area. The referee, Kevin Friend, was unmoved and Hodgson later suggested he was more unhappy that Sakho did not reach the header.

Pochettino was without Dele Alli, the two-goal star of the Madrid win, because of a hamstring injury, and his team laboured for tempo and cohesion. Rose fluffed a first-half header while Son was torn between crossing and shooting when well-placed on the left of the area. In the end he did neither and the ball went out for a throw-in. Pochettino also lost Harry Winks to a twisted ankle at half-time.

Palace did what many clubs have already done against Tottenham at Wembley this season: they kept men behind the ball, compressed the space between the lines and looked to punch on the counterattack or from a set‑piece.

It did not matter to them that Tottenham hogged 68% of possession. Pochettino’s team are sometimes more dangerous when they do not have a lot of the ball.

Palace would have led in the 36th minute following a Cabaye corner but for an excellent save by Gazzaniga. Scott Dann rose above Eric Dier and he sent a header towards the bottom corner. Gazzaniga showcased his reflexes and Jan Vertonghen completed the clearance.

By the hour, it was difficult to understand how Palace were not in front. Gazzaniga tipped Andros Townsend’s low shot around the far post after the former Tottenham winger had seized upon a poor ball from Serge Aurier to run through, and he also beat out Luka Milivojevic’s header at the far post after a corner had deflected up off Dier.

Zaha was excellent – quick, powerful and direct – but he blotted his copybook with his miss. You would have got long odds on him dragging his shot past the far post, net gaping, after he had taken the ball around Gazzaniga on a fast break. That is what he did. The angle was a little tight but a player of his refinement had to score.

The chance had been presented by another blunder from Aurier and Townsend’s through-ball for Zaha was perfectly judged. Zaha was furious with himself. Son would twist the knife moments later.