Tottenham Hotspur defeated Crystal Palace on Saturday to secure a third consecutive Premier League victory, a first in almost 21 months. The visitors were reduced to 10 men from the 13th minute.
Crystal Palace lost a player to a sending-off following a challenge on Micky van de Ven. Tottenham capitalised on the advantage to claim the win, with goals from Archie Gray and Jan Paul van Hecke. The result lifts Spurs into the top half of the table.
This is the first time in two years that Tottenham have recorded two consecutive home league wins. Their first league victory of the season was at home against Coventry City, followed by a triumph away at Chelsea, their second league win at Stamford Bridge in 36 years. The last time Tottenham won three league matches in a row was in February 2025, more than 600 days ago. These three wins equal the number of victories Spurs recorded in their previous 26 league matches combined, in which they drew 10 times and lost 13.
Statistics confirm the dominance: Tottenham registered 34 shots on target, conceding only two. This is the largest shot differential (32) against any opponent since Opta began tracking such data in the 2003/04 season. It is also the largest differential for any team since May 2024, when Liverpool had 36 shots to Wolverhampton Wanderers' four. Spurs also held 79.4 per cent possession, their second-highest percentage in Premier League history, behind 80.2 per cent against Newcastle United in August 2019.
Manager Roberto De Zerbi told BBC Sport's Match Of The Day that the passion shown was important and that the team had not lost focus or concentration. He highlighted that they could have scored more goals but created many chances, stating they must be "nastier", particularly in the final phase of the game and in conversion. He acknowledged he knew it would be a difficult match.
De Zerbi also asked for patience regarding major summer signings. Midfielders Sandro Tonali, who arrived from Newcastle United for £100 million, and Mateus Fernandes, brought in from West Ham United for £85 million, initially played slowly. Tonali began to revive against Coventry City, and was key against Crystal Palace with his running power, physical presence and creativity. Fernandes was lively throughout the match, constantly seeking the opening pass that could make the difference. Dejan Kulusevski provided a lively performance as a substitute after a long injury absence, forcing Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson into a fine save. Spurs spent £300 million in the summer.
On the other side, Crystal Palace sit in the lower part of the table with just two wins in nine league matches. De Zerbi concluded: "Look, we are Tottenham. We must not forget to be ambitious, hungry, winning in a row and making our fans happy. At the same time, we must not forget where we were in the table two weeks ago, changing the last two or three seasons of this club. Three games in a row are not enough. After the international break, we spoke honestly and decided to quickly change the mood because in football you cannot ask for time, especially if you have good players like we do. I think nothing has changed, but the mood, the spirit, the relationship with the players are completely different."
