Tottenham Hotspur vs Crystal Palace; Premier League
Tottenham Hotspur vs Crystal Palace. Premier League.
Tottenham Hotspur StadiumAttendance60,213.
Tottenham Hotspur 1
- D Solanke (34th minute)
- M van de Ven (sent off 38th minute)
Crystal Palace 3
- I Sarr (40th minute pen, 52nd minute)
- J Larsen (46th minute)
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Tottenham 1-3 Crystal Palace: Micky van de Ven red card sparks Spurs collapse as relegation threat becomes real
Report and free match highlights as Spurs' relegation fears rise with hammering at home by Crystal Palace; Spurs led through Dominic Solanke but Micky van de Ven's red card sparked collapse; Ismaila Sarr scored twice, Jorgen Strand Larsen added another; Spurs just one point above the drop
Thursday 5 March 2026 23:57, UK
Tottenham are in crisis and facing the real possibility of relegation after they crumbled to a shocking 3-1 defeat at home to Crystal Palace, following Micky van de Ven's sending off.
Igor Tudor is just 21 days into the job but looks to have no solution.
Spurs - last relegated from the top flight in 1977 - are just one point above the drop zone and it's Liverpool at Anfield next in the Premier League. But every game now looks enormously difficult for a Spurs side on a club-record 11 league games without a win.
They blew the chance for a victory in this derby spectacularly. Archie Gray's exquisite footwork to tee up Dominic Solanke was a brief moment of hope for the home fans.
That opener came just moments after Palace had seen Ismaila Sarr's deflected strike ruled out for an offside check which appeared to judge his face ahead of play. But the real swing in momentum came when Sarr got in behind the Spurs defence again and Van de Ven tugged him back.
Penalty. Red card. A second Spurs captain in five games heading for the tunnel before half-time. Sarr coolly rolled in the spot-kick and it cued a Spurs collapse.
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The difference in intensity between the two teams was laid out for Palace's second, with Evann Guessand beating Pape Sarr to Mathys Tel's poor pass before Adam Wharton glided in to feed Jorgen Strand Larsen. The England playmaker had time and space to find Sarr for a third before the break, sparking a mass exodus from the home sections.
Guglielmo Vicario - who had allowed Strand Larsen's shot to go through his legs and Sarr to lift the third over him - was booed by his own fans who had stayed. And not for the first time this season.
Spurs' players at least showed some fight in the second half to limit the damage - but they looked out on their feet, down to 10, ravaged by injuries and with confidence on the floor.
Next comes a brutal and defining run of games through Tuesday-Sunday-Wednesday-Sunday, including a relegation six-pointer with Nottingham Forest and Champions League ties away and then home to Atletico Madrid, around that trip to Liverpool.
They must somehow find something from somewhere or it could be Championship football in this billion-pound stadium next season.
Spurs' next six fixtures
- Tuesday March 10: Atletico Madrid (A) - Champions League, kick-off 8pm)
- Sunday March 15: Liverpool (A) - Premier League, kick-off 4.30pm (live on Sky Sports)
- Wednesday March 18: Atletico Madrid (H) - Champions League, kick-off 8pm
- Sunday March 22: Nottingham Forest (H) - Premier League, kick-off 2.15pm (live onSky Sports)
- Sunday April 12: Sunderland (A) - Premier League, kick-off 2pm (live on Sky Sports)
- Saturday April 18: Brighton (H) - Premier League, kick-off 5.30pm (live on Sky Sports)
Spurs' sorry stats
- Tottenham Hotspur have failed to win 11 successive league games for the first time since October 1975 under Terry Neill (D7 L4).
- Tottenham Hotspur have lost five successive Premier League matches for the first time since November 2004 (run of six).
- Igor Tudor is just the second Tottenham Hotspur head coach in Premier League history to lose each of his first three games in charge after Martin Jol in November 2004.
- Only in 1935 (first 15 games) have Tottenham Hotspur endured a longer winless run in league football to begin a calendar year than their 11 matches in 2026 so far.
- Tottenham Hotspur have conceded 2+ goals in nine successive league matches for the first time in the club's history.
- Tottenham Hotspur's Micky van de Ven received his first red card for the club in all competitions (86th appearance), while in the Premier League this season, only Chelsea (7) have had more red cards than Spurs' four.
Tudor: I believe more now
Speaking after the game, Tudor insisted he saw enough to increase his belief that Spurs will avoid the drop.
"I understand the fans, they wanted more," the Croat said after a third straight loss since taking charge. "We also wanted more. The red card changed everything.
"It might sound strange, I believe more after this game than I believed before.
"I saw something. I need to choose the right guys because the boat is going in the direction that I need to go, and who is in the boat can stay, otherwise [they] can leave the boat.
"When the other players come back, I'm sure we'll have a good team and come back. It's not easy to accept the moment we are in now."
Glasner pleased with Palace progress
Meanwhile, Palace boss Oliver Glasner said he was pleased with his side's progress after a second successive win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
"We had more time in the last weeks to train again, integrate the new players," he said.
"We can see the new players are knowing the way we want to play better and better.
"It's not my right to talk about Spurs. I talk about Crystal Palace.
"I remember we lost 3-1 here. And we had no chance to win this game. They were so much better and when I see the last two games we've won here, I think we were better than we were and that's the development of Crystal Palace, and that's what I'm looking at."
