Tottenham made it three consecutive Premier League wins under Roberto De Zerbi for the first time as they cruised to a 2-0 victory over 10-man Crystal Palace on Saturday. 

Following their win over Coventry City, Spurs have claimed back-to-back London derby victories, having beaten Chelsea 2-0 last time out before overcoming Palace. 

Jean-Philippe Mateta was shown a straight red card after just 13 minutes at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Archie Gray and Jan Paul van Hecke scoring either side of half-time. 

Palace's evening began in disastrous fashion as Mateta was given his marching orders for a reckless lunge from behind on Mickey van de Ven, prompting referee Michael Oliver to upgrade his initial yellow card decision to a straight red after a VAR review. 

Mohammed Kudus drilled a first-time effort wide as De Zerbi's side looked to make their man advantage count immediately, and it did not take long for the breakthrough to arrive. 

Gray put Spurs up 1-0 in the 24th minute, meeting Kudus' corner with a delightful header back across goal from the far post, leaving Dean Henderson with no chance. 

Dominic Solanke and Andy Robertson threatened to extend the hosts' lead before half-time, but the Eagles held firm to keep the deficit to a single goal at the break. 

Spurs emerged for the second half with renewed intent and almost doubled their advantage through Mathys Tel, whose low shot was blocked by Chris Richards, before Solanke flashed a superb effort on the spin that forced Henderson into a sharp one-handed save. 

Palace's best opportunity of the evening came in the 63rd minute, with Daichi Kamada picking out Dwight McNeil inside the box, though his shot was snuffed out by a steadfast Tottenham defence. 

Spurs quickly regained control, with Pedro Porro blazing over the bar before Robertson let another promising opportunity slip with a heavy touch that allowed Henderson to gather. 

The hosts eventually made their dominance count in the 73rd minute through Van Hecke, who first headed against the bar before reacting quickly to poke the rebound beyond Henderson and into the net at the second time of asking. 

Kudus, Sandro Tonali and Dejan Kulusevski all missed further chances to add gloss to the scoreline, though Tottenham's victory was never in doubt.

Three wins on the bounce!

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) October 31, 2026

Spurs soar past the Eagles 

Spurs entered Saturday's contest full of confidence following last weekend's victory over Chelsea, and Mateta's early dismissal only strengthened their grip on proceedings. 

They made their numerical advantage count in emphatic fashion, registering 34 shots – their most in a Premier League match since February 2016 (34 vs Swansea City), and the most Palace have faced in a league match on record (since 2004-05). 

With Palace managing just two attempts, Spurs' shot differential of 32 was their largest on record in the Premier League (since 2003-04), and the biggest by any side since Liverpool outdid Wolves 36-4 in May 2024. 

De Zerbi's side also dominated possession, enjoying 79.4% of the ball – their second-highest share on record in the competition (since 2003-04), behind only their 80.2% against Newcastle United in August 2019. Conversely, Palace's 20.6% was their lowest-ever recorded possession figure in a Premier League match. 

The defeat compounded a miserable calendar year for the Eagles, who have lost more games (15) and conceded more goals (52) than any other ever-present Premier League side in 2026.  

They have also recorded the joint-fewest wins (six) and scored the joint-fewest goals (29) among those sides. 

The gulf between the sides was further reflected in the expected goals (xG), with Spurs generating 3.26 xG compared to the Eagles’ meagre 0.14.