Van Hecke praises Spurs defence after 2-0 win over Palace

Tottenham defender Jan Paul van Hecke has praised his partnership with fellow Dutchman Micky van de Ven, while pointing to the team's collective effort in recent defensive form.

Van Hecke was influential at both ends in Saturday's 2-0 Premier League win over Crystal Palace at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. He scored the second goal of the second half to secure the victory, and he took on the quarterback role from deep for many of the team's attacks. He also broke the club's Premier League record for completed passes in a single game, with 143, and has been nominated for the league's Player of the Matchweek.

Asked about back-to-back clean sheets, Tottenham's fourth in nine Premier League matches this season, Van Hecke credited the forwards first: "I think it's really hard work that starts up front. If you see the boys, how hard they work, how many balls they recover, it makes it so much easier for us. Of course, we have good defenders, we have good goalkeepers, so that does also help, but I think it's about the collective."

On his partnership with Van de Ven, he said: "We're really good friends, so it's really nice to play together in the same team. We love it. That's our fourth clean sheet and we're both really happy to play together, but it's not only us, it's the rest as well. If you see how much effort everyone puts in, it's great."

Tottenham sit ninth in the Premier League table with 12 points from nine matches, with three wins, three draws and three defeats.