Archie Gray and Jan Paul van Hecke scored as Tottenham beat Crystal Palace 2-0 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday. Spurs played most of the Premier League match against 10 men after Jean-Philippe Mateta was sent off following a VAR review.
Pedro Porro applauds supporters after the final whistle. Photo: Chloe Knott / Tottenham Hotspur, Facebook. Photograph reduced within a branded landscape frame.
Gray headed the hosts in front before half-time, and van Hecke added the second after the break. Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson made several important saves, but Roberto De Zerbi’s side made their numerical advantage count.
Mateta dismissal changes the contest
Palace had an early opportunity through Daichi Kamada, whose shot AntonÃn Kinský saved. The visitors’ task then became much harder when Mateta challenged Micky van de Ven near halfway.
Referee Michael Oliver reviewed the incident at the pitch-side monitor and showed Mateta a red card. Palace were left to defend with a man fewer for most of the match.
Gray heads Tottenham ahead
Tottenham broke through when Mohammed Kudus’ deep corner reached Gray at the back post. His header gave Spurs the lead, which they carried into half-time.
Henderson kept Palace in the game, saving a long-range Andy Robertson effort, while Axel Disasi made important interventions as the home side pressed for another goal.
Spurs continued to threaten after the interval. Mateus Fernandes went close with a deflected shot before Henderson produced an excellent one-handed save to deny Dominic Solanke.
Van Hecke secures the points
Palace still had a chance to change the game when Dwight McNeil found space in the area, but his effort was blocked. Tottenham then added the second through van Hecke.
Fernandes sent the ball towards the back post, where Henderson saved van Hecke’s initial header. The defender headed the rebound over the line.
Henderson later denied Conor Gallagher. Spurs finished with a clean sheet and a two-goal win, following their league victory at Chelsea the previous weekend.
Watch the match highlights
The official Tottenham Hotspur highlights are hosted on YouTube. Loading the player connects to YouTube and may share your IP address and device data. Nothing loads until you choose to load it.
Watch on Tottenham Hotspur's YouTube channel
From the club
This official Tottenham Hotspur post is hosted on X. Loading it connects to X and may share your IP address and device data. Your choice applies only to this page visit.
Have your say
What pleased you most about Spurs' win?
Sources: Tottenham’s official match report, Crystal Palace’s official match report and BBC Sport’s final match coverage.
1 comment
What pleased you most about Tottenham’s win over Crystal Palace, and why?