Jean-Philippe Mateta's early red card left Crystal Palace a man down, and Tottenham took their Premier League winning run to three games. Only two weeks ago, Spurs were bottom of the table.
The run began on 19 October with a 3-1 home win over Coventry City. That was Spurs’ first league win of the season, and it took them off the bottom. A week before Saturday, they won at Chelsea, only their second victory there in 36 years. Beating Palace also gave Spurs back-to-back home league wins for the first time since November 2024.
Mateta’s tackle met every test for serious foul play
The match turned early. Mateta challenged from behind and caught Van de Ven on the Achilles with his studs. The VAR told referee Michael Oliver that the contact was nowhere near the ball and that the tackle met every test for serious foul play, the Premier League said.
Palace switched to a 5-3-1 shape. They sat in a low block of five defenders and three midfielders. Spurs broke through on 25 minutes when Gray headed in a corner from Mohammed Kudus. It was his third goal for Tottenham and his second against Palace.
The second goal arrived on 73 minutes. Mateus Fernandes crossed, and Dean Henderson tipped Van Hecke’s first header onto the crossbar. The defender then bundled the ball in while lying on the ground.
De Zerbi hailed Tonali but wanted a nastier edge
The shot count matched the 34 Spurs managed against Swansea in February 2016. It was also the highest number Palace have faced in a Premier League game since records began in 2004-05.
Roberto De Zerbi reserved his warmest praise for Sandro Tonali. He said the midfielder had been so influential that it felt like Spurs had two extra men, calling him “the double today”. De Zerbi also singled out Fernandes, Omar Marmoush, Dominic Solanke, Kudus and Mathys Tel. He praised Marmoush and Solanke in particular for their work after losing the ball.
He was not fully satisfied, though. De Zerbi said his side created a great many chances but would need to be more “nasty” in front of goal to approach perfection. With 34 shots producing two goals, the figures are consistent with that view.
There was also a milestone for the academy. Luca Williams-Barnett, 18, made his league debut.
For Palace, the afternoon deepened a slide. They have now lost three league games in a row: 5-0 to Brighton, 2-0 to Newcastle and 2-0 at Spurs. The defeat dropped them into the bottom three. Because the red card was straight, Mateta will miss Palace’s next three Premier League games, against Liverpool, Coventry and Hull, Sky Sports reported.
Source material
Matchweek 9 VAR decisions explained (Premier League)
Tottenham 2-0 Crystal Palace: Jean-Philippe Mateta's red card sees 10-man Eagles slip into relegation zone (Sky Sports)
Spurs 2-0 Palace | Every word of Roberto De Zerbi's post-match press conference (Tottenham Hotspur)
Tottenham Hotspur vs Crystal Palace (Crystal Palace FC)