Tottenham sweating over Mousa Dembele fitness for north London Derby

Tottenham Hotspur are sweating over the fitness of midfielder Mousa Dembele ahead of Sunday's (30 April) North London Derby against Arsenal after he was substituted with an ankle injury during the Premier League win over Crystal Palace.

The Belgium international was withdrawn at half-time during the 1-0 success at Selhurst Park, Spurs' eighth top-flight win in a row, which puts them four points behind title rivals Chelsea.

Christian Eriksen struck late to deliver victory for the White Hart Lane club after they held Sam Allardyce's side at bay for long periods during the London derby. The Dane scored with a low shot from 30 yards which fizzed past goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey to secure the vital three points. It was Spurs' 100th goal in all competitions this season.

Victory sees Tottenham close the gap on Chelsea, who beat Southampton 24 hours earlier. The Blues travel to Everton this weekend before Mauricio Pochettino's side host Arsenal in a key game in the race for the title.

Tottenham could be without Dembele after he was forced off during the break, but Victor Wanyama will be available after avoiding being sent off against Palace. The Kenya international was already on a booking when he fouled Andros Townsend in the first half. However, referee Jon Moss refrained from showing a second card. The ex-Southampton man was then substituted

"It's true that after he got the yellow card there was another challenge," Pochettino told Sky Sports. "The fans were very warm and tried to pressure the referee a little bit. Mousa suffered a twist to his ankle and I think in that moment we decided to change the shape. Son [Heung-Min] and Moussa Sissoko worked well. I think we played well and deserved the victory."

Despite cutting Chelsea's lead at the top to four points, Tottenham still face a tough run of games if they are to keep pace and overhaul the leaders. Arsenal are next up before they travel to West Ham United, and Pochettino has urged his team to keep up the pressure.

"That is the challenge to keep it going," the Argentine boss added. "Now we will try to recover. It is better when you win. It is true it is a big derby [against Arsenal], maybe the last at White Hart Lane. Very special for our fans, very special for everyone and I think it will be a very exciting game."