De Zerbi’s Spurs secure third straight Premier League win against Crystal Palace
Tottenham Hotspur beat Crystal Palace at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in a Premier League match on Saturday, recording their third consecutive league victory under head coach Roberto de Zerbi after almost 21 months. Archie Gray and Jan Paul van Hecke scored, while Crystal Palace were reduced to 10 men when Jean-Philippe Mateta was sent off after 13 minutes for a lunge at Micky van de Ven.
The win followed Tottenham’s first league victory of the season at home to Coventry City and an away triumph at Chelsea, which was only Spurs’ second league win at Stamford Bridge in 36 years. The result moved Tottenham into the top half of the Premier League table and provided continuity after a run of inconsistent results earlier in the campaign. Before the match the mood at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was cautious, with Palace’s visit widely regarded as a potential banana skin rather than a straightforward fixture.
Tottenham capitalised on the numerical advantage created by Mateta’s sending-off and produced a convincing performance. The hosts created numerous chances across the match, with Dejan Kulusevski returning from a long injury absence to provide a lively cameo and force a save from Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson. Palace continued to compete despite being a player down and did not appear to have given up on head coach Pierre Sage.
The three successive wins were Tottenham’s first such sequence since February 2025, a run that occurred more than 600 days ago. Those three wins equal the number of league victories Spurs had in their previous 26 league games combined, a period in which they drew 10 and lost 13. The club also recorded back-to-back home league wins for the first time in two years.
Head coach Roberto de Zerbi offered his assessment to BBC Sport’s Match Of The Day after the game: "The passion we showed - we didn't lose the focus, the concentration. We made an incredible reaction when we lost the ball. "We could have scored more goals, but we created many chances. We have to be more nasty, especially in the last third of the match, especially in the finishing. I'm happy because I knew before this would be a tough game."
De Zerbi also addressed his high-profile summer signings and squad mood, referencing Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes by name and transfer details. Tonali, a £100m signing from Newcastle United, and Fernandes, an £85m arrival from West Ham United, had started slowly, but Tonali began to influence games against Coventry City and was pivotal again with his running power, physicality and creation here, while Fernandes was described as lively and constantly seeking a decisive pass.
The match produced stark statistical contrasts: Tottenham had 34 shots to Palace’s two, a shot difference of 32 which the report noted was the biggest any side has had against an opponent since Opta records began in 2003-04 and the largest for any team since Liverpool had 36 shots to Wolves’ four in May 2024. Spurs also recorded 79.4% possession, their second-highest in a Premier League game after 80.2% against Newcastle United in August 2019. Palace sit in the bottom three with only two wins from nine league games, and the report said Pierre Sage will now come under increasing scrutiny.
De Zerbi warned that the run is not sufficient on its own, saying: "Listen, we are Tottenham. We can't forget to be ambitious, to be hungry, to win games in a row, and to make our fans happy. "At the same time, we can't forget two weeks ago where we have been in the table, to change the last two to three seasons of this club. Three games in a row is not enough. We have to keep this behaviour, this spirit. This condition to prepare every game in the same way." The victory has moved Tottenham into the top half of the table and De Zerbi insisted the club must maintain the mood and spirit they have regained.
