Tottenham 2-0 Crystal Palace: Gray and Van Hecke Seal Victory After Mateta's Red Card

Tottenham beat Crystal Palace, who were down to ten men, 2-0 to win three matches in a row in the Premier League for the first time under Roberto De Zerbi.

Having followed up their League Cup win over Coventry City by beating Chelsea 2-0, Spurs also got past Crystal Palace to come out on top in a second successive London derby.

At Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Jean-Philippe Mateta was sent off with a straight red card as early as the 13th minute. The goals that secured victory for the hosts came midway through each half from Archie Gray and Jan Paul van Hecke.

The match got off to a nightmare start for Crystal Palace. After Mateta's reckless challenge from behind on Micky van de Ven, referee Michael Oliver initially showed a yellow card, but following a VAR review he rescinded it and dismissed the striker with a straight red.

Eager to make their numerical advantage count immediately, Tottenham did not have to wait long for the breakthrough. In the 24th minute, Archie Gray rose at the back post to meet Mohammed Kudus's corner with a superb header, leaving goalkeeper Dean Henderson helpless and putting his side 1-0 up.

The London side had chances to extend their lead through Dominic Solanke and Andy Robertson in the closing stages of the first half, but went into the break with a one-goal advantage.

De Zerbi's side also started the second half at a high tempo, and although Mathys Tel and Solanke created clear-cut opportunities, Henderson produced a series of fine saves. In Palace's best chance of the match, Dwight McNeil latched onto a pass from Daichi Kamada, only for his shot to be blocked by a Tottenham defence that threw bodies in the way.

Keeping up the pressure relentlessly, Tottenham found the goal that eased their nerves in the 73rd minute. Van Hecke's header came back off the crossbar, and the Dutch centre-back followed up the rebound alertly to send the ball into the net and make it 2-0.

The hosts spurned chances to extend their lead through Kudus, Sandro Tonali and Dejan Kulusevski in the remaining minutes, but their superior play was rewarded with 3 points.

Spurs, who went into the game buoyed by their win over Chelsea, took complete control after Mateta's dismissal. The North London side finished the match with a full 34 shots, displaying overwhelming dominance with their pressure on the opposition goal and giving their opponents almost no chance in terms of possession.