Pierre Sage has been given more time to turn around Crystal Palace’s fortunes but he remains under huge pressure and could be dismissed if they lose against Tottenham on Saturday.

The Frenchman’s position was in serious doubt after another poor performance in the 2-0 defeat against Newcastle at the weekend. That followed a 5-0 thrashing against Brighton when Sage was warned that he could be dismissed if results did not improve quickly.

However the club’s chair, Steve Parish, has decided not to act given the tight turnaround in Palace’s schedule: the side face Fulham at Craven Cottage in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, before their trip to Tottenham in the Premier League. But Sage, who attended the Ballon d’Or ceremony in London on Monday evening, is understood to have been left in no doubt that the meeting with Spurs on Saturday is crucial to his future.

Palace are 17th and have conceded 19 goals in eight Premier League matchesthis season – the highest in the division.…