Tottenham beat 10-man Palace 2-0, adding pressure on Sage

London club Tottenham Hotspur beat Crystal Palace 2-0 at home in the Premier League, England's top-flight football competition. Palace played with ten men from the 13th minute, and the defeat dropped them to third from bottom, inside the relegation zone. It adds to the pressure on Palace manager Pierre Sage.

Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta was sent off for a late, studs-up sliding challenge on Micky van de Ven's Achilles. Referee Michael Oliver first showed a yellow card, but after a VAR (video assistant referee) review he went to the pitchside monitor and changed it to a red for serious foul play.

How the match unfolded

Twelve minutes after the dismissal, Archie Gray headed Tottenham in front from a corner. In the second half, defender Jan Paul van Hecke settled the contest by finishing from a rebound. Palace showed considerable fight, but Spurs struggled to add a second goal for a long time. Late on, teenager Luca Williams-Barnett, on his Premier League debut, set up Mohammed Kudus, who missed from close range.

What it means

Tottenham, managed by Roberto De Zerbi, recorded a third straight win and their first three consecutive league victories since February 2025. They moved up to eighth. Palace suffered a third consecutive league defeat. Mateta will miss their next three Premier League games, against Liverpool, Coventry and Hull, a run that could shape Sage's future. Sky Sports News reporter Chris Reidy said that since the 5-0 loss at Brighton the club's decision-makers have wanted defensive improvements, and that vulnerability from set pieces remains a concern.

After the match, Van Hecke described De Zerbi as a top manager and said he believes there is a lot more to come from the team.