Ange Postecoglou is encouraging Tottenham to dream after his side went five points clear at the top of the Premier League with a 2-1 win at Crystal Palace.

A Joel Ward own goal and another Heung-Min Son strike put Spurs two goals up in the second half before a late Jordan Ayew effort set up a nervy finish.

Postecoglou's side held on, though, and the Australian was delighted to hear their fans serenade the league leaders.

He told Sky Sports: "Let them dream, that's what being a football supporter is all about.

"It's fair to say this lot have suffered a bit so I'm certainly not going to put a dampener on that. 

"I'm really happy today. This is a tough place to come and we had to work hard for our victory.

"I thought we had real discipline and focus so I'm really pleased with the effort the boys put in. I knew it would be a difficult game for us."

Palace carried a threat throughout the match and Postecoglou reserved special praise for defender Micky van de Ven, who was crucial in holding the hosts at bay.

The flying Dutchman has hit the ground running in the Premier League and his boss stressed that he is crucial to Tottenham's style of play.

The Spurs manager said: "The way we play, we need it [Van de Ven's speed].

"We play pretty aggressively with our line and for a 22-year-old he is so composed.

"It helps having Romero next to him, I think he gets a lot of confidence from that. That's the beauty of it.

"The challenge for me is that these guys have got so much more upside. I've got to make sure we keep pushing them and improving them."

Tottenham are back in action in 10 days when they take on Chelsea at home.