Spurs Beat 10-Man Palace 2-0 for Third Straight Win

Spurs turn dominance into a third straight win

Tottenham Hotspur beat Crystal Palace 2-0 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, 31 October 2026, to record a third consecutive Premier League victory and climb to eighth in the table. Archie Gray headed the opener in the 25th minute and Jan Paul van Hecke bundled in the second in the 73rd minute, as Spurs made their numerical advantage count against a Palace side reduced to 10 men after only 13 minutes.

The result continued a sharp change in direction under head coach Roberto De Zerbi. Spurs had won none of their first six league matches, but victories over Coventry City and Chelsea, followed by this London derby win, have lifted them to 12 points. For Palace, the defeat was a third straight league loss without scoring, by a combined score of 9-0, and Pierre Sage's side slipped to 18th, into the relegation zone, with seven points.

Tottenham finished with 34 shots to Palace's two and 79.4 per cent possession, with Dean Henderson making seven saves.

Mateta sent off after 13 minutes

The turning point arrived early, and it was decisive. Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta was sent off in the 13th minute for a studs-up tackle on Micky van de Ven. Referee Michael Oliver initially showed a yellow card, but after a video assistant referee review he went to the monitor and upgraded the decision to a straight red card for serious foul play.

Mateta had lunged from behind as Van de Ven sprinted back towards his own goal, catching the Tottenham defender on the Achilles with his studs. Palace, who had started brightly, were suddenly forced to reorganise. According to Tottenham's own match report, Palace changed system to 5-3-1, with five defenders backed by three midfielders in a low block, and the rest of the evening became a test of endurance.

Spurs moved the ball quickly and pushed their full-backs high, but Palace held their shape until the breakthrough came from a set piece.

Gray heads Spurs in front

Gray put Spurs ahead in the 25th minute, 12 minutes after the red card. Kudus delivered a looping corner to the far post, Gray was left unmarked inside the box, and the young defender headed back across goal and past Henderson. Gray had started at right-back and was replaced at half-time by Pedro Porro, with Gray already on a yellow card, but his goal had already changed the match. Palace now had to survive for more than an hour with 10 men while trailing.

At half-time, Tottenham had 78 per cent possession, eight shots to Palace's one and 386 passes to 94, yet the margin was still only one goal.

Van Hecke seals it from the floor

The second goal finally arrived in the 73rd minute, and it was as untidy as it was decisive. Mateus Fernandes curled in a deep cross from the left, Van Hecke rose to meet it, and Henderson got two hands to the first header and pushed it onto the crossbar. As the ball came back down, Van Hecke, by then on the ground, reacted quickest and headed it again, with the ball going in to make it 2-0.

It was not a goal from any coaching manual, but it counted, and it ended Palace's resistance. Tottenham won a remarkable 20 corners in the match, a new Premier League record for corners by one team in a single game, according to Sofascore figures reported after the match. Both goals underlined how Spurs eventually wore Palace down, first from a corner and then from relentless pressure after it.

Eighteen-year-old Luca Williams-Barnett came on for his Premier League debut in the 88th minute and almost set up a third goal, beating his man twice before finding Kudus, who missed from close range.

A run taking shape under De Zerbi

De Zerbi praised the maturity of his side afterwards. Speaking on Tottenham's official website, he said: "It was a tough game, even if they played with 10 players for a big part of the game, but the style of defence when you face Crystal Palace is very tough." He added: "We could have scored more goals, but it was a great performance."

Van Hecke, speaking to Sky Sports, was equally upbeat about the direction of travel. He called De Zerbi a top manager, said he had a really good relationship with him, and added: "I think there's a lot more to come from us." He also pointed to the value of winning and keeping a clean sheet, saying: "When you win games, the confidence grows. When you keep a clean sheet, that also helps."

For Tottenham, this was their first run of three straight league wins since February 2025, and their first back-to-back home league wins since November 2024. The climb from 14th before the weekend to eighth shows how quickly a run can change a season, although tougher tests lie ahead.

For Palace, the questions are more urgent. A third defeat in a row, a third game without a goal, a place in the bottom three and the loss of Mateta for the next three league matches leave Sage under growing pressure, with Liverpool, Coventry and Hull to come. Palace showed fight at Tottenham, and Henderson kept the score down, but on Saturday Spurs had the extra man, the extra quality and, eventually, the two headed goals that turned dominance into three points.