Tottenham Hotspur imploded at home to Crystal Palace, losing 3-1 and having captain Micky van de Ven sent off in the first half of a defeat that deepens their relegation worries and raises questions about the impact of new head coach Igor Tudor.
Spurs started the game in 16th place and only one point above the relegation zone after West Ham beat Fulham 1-0 and Nottingham Forest drew 2-2 away to Manchester City, but took the lead through Dominic Solanke on 34 minutes.
Palace had already had one goal ruled out when VAR judged Ismaila Sarr’s face to be offside, below, but he equalised from the penalty spot when Van de Ven was sent off for pulling back the Palace forward back inside the box, denying him a goalscoring opportunity.
Van de Ven had only taken on the captaincy after Cristian Romero’s own early red card in the defeat by Manchester United last month.
Spurs were behind when they lost the ball in their own half and Jorgen Strand Larsen finished through Guglielmo Vicario’s legs.
It was 3-1 in the seventh minute of first-half stoppage time when Sarr scored his second, at which point Spurs fans started to head for the exit.
Tudor was only appointed as a replacement for Thomas Frank three weeks ago, but has lost all three games he has taken charge of and the club are yet to win a league game in 2026.
Here, The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke and Elias Burke break down the key talking points.
Are Spurs going down?
The most worrying thing about Tottenham is not their position, as bad as it is, or even their remaining fixtures. Nine games is plenty of time and they are not in the relegation zone yet. The worrying thing, the reason to fear that they could well go down, is that the players look like they have lost all confidence.
Tottenham have not won a league game since December. They have taken four points from 11 league games this year. From their last 20 league games — a run lasting more than five months — they have taken just 12 points.
You can see the evidence of this awful run when you watch Spurs play. They have no belief in anything they are doing — in stark contrast to West Ham, Leeds and even Nottingham Forest around them. The point is not that the players are useless, but that they appear to have lost all hope.
If they go down, that is what will sink them.
Jack Pitt-Brooke
How did Tudor, players and fans react?
The simmering sense of uneasiness in the stands as kick-off approached reflected the club’s increasing peril. Having not faced a genuine relegation battle since the late 90s, Tottenham fans didn’t quite know how to act.
Like against Arsenal on the last occasion Spurs were at home, Tottenham fans started with a roar, but there was a palpable sense of anxiety within the stands and on the pitch as Palace got the better of the opening exchanges. It wasn’t until Sarr’s disallowed goal, followed by Solanke’s opener, that the stadium came to life again.
But within 20 minutes, Tottenham were three down. The life that was briefly breathed into a stadium that has been solemn for much of the season was zapped, with thousands of fans heading for the concourse, many of whom did not return for the second period.
In a demonstration of urgency and determination, Tudor sent his players out early for the second half, but the consequence was strange and awkward. The team stood on the pitch awaiting their Palace counterparts, while a half-empty stadium booed and jeered. By the time the referee blew for the second half, it’s hard to imagine anyone of a Spurs persuasion wanted to be anywhere near N17.
Given they were down to 10 men, the players put up a decent fight in the second period without ever truly threatening Dean Henderson’s goal.
Tudor waited until the 74th minute to introduce his most creative threat, Xavi Simons, from the bench, who replaced Pedro Porro. As he left the pitch, the red-faced Spain international punched the substitute’s chair and slammed his water bottle on the floor.
With a trip to Anfield to face Liverpool for their next Premier League challenge, Spurs fans will hope for more fight on the pitch.
Elias Burke
What was Van de Ven doing?
The turning point of the game came eight minutes before the break, with Spurs having just gone 1-0 up.
Mickey van de Ven swung his leg at the ball to clear it and sliced it up into the air. Jorgen Strand Larsen headed it forward and, all of a sudden, Ismaila Sarr was running in behind Van de Ven. Scrambling back to make up ground, Van de Ven clearly pulled Sarr’s left arm back, just as Sarr was entering the penalty box.
Van de Ven was sent off for the professional foul, and Sarr then sent Vicario the wrong way from the penalty area.
It was only a momentary lapse from Van de Ven, but it was enough to transform the flow of the game. By the interval, Spurs were 3-1 down.
The centre-back looked so desperate to atone for his missed clearance that he ended up making a far more costly mistake. But he should not have been surprised that Sarr had dangerous pace on the turn. Earlier in the first half, Sarr had a goal disallowed for a marginal offside, racing in behind Spurs’ defensive line.
It was a red card at the worst possible moment, the fourth of Spurs’ Premier League season. Only Chelsea have more.
Jack Pitt-Brooke
What did Tudor say?
We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.
What next for Spurs?