Crystal Palace beat ten-man Tottenham to deepen relegation fears
Tottenham remained in serious relegation trouble after suffering a damaging 3-1 home defeat by Crystal Palace which saw Micky van de Ven sent off.
Spurs had initially taken the lead through Dominic Solanke after surviving an early scare from the visitors.
The match turned when Van de Ven received a straight red card for pulling back Ismaila Sarr inside the penalty area.
Sarr converted the resulting spot-kick to level the scores before Palace ruthlessly exploited their numerical advantage.
Jorgen Strand Larsen and Sarr added further goals before half-time to condemn the hosts to another demoralising loss.
The result leaves Igor Tudor’s side just one point above the Premier League drop zone.
Vicario struggles prove costly
While the dismissal of the Dutch defender was a pivotal moment, much of the post-match scrutiny focused on the performance of Guglielmo Vicario.
The Italian goalkeeper was criticised for his reaction times during Palace’s rapid-fire double before the break.
Strand Larsen was able to slide the ball through the shot-stopper’s legs to give the Eagles the lead.
Moments later, hesitation from the former Empoli man allowed Sarr to prod home a third, leaving defenders Pedro Porro and Kevin Danso visibly frustrated.
Data from the match suggested the keeper conceded nearly 1.5 goals more than the expected goals (xG) model predicted.
Fans turn on ‘calamitous’ display
Tension inside the stadium was palpable as supporters voiced their displeasure at the club’s precarious league position.
Social media reaction was particularly fierce regarding the goalkeeping display.
“Vicario fighting to get us relegated.”
Another supporter offered a scathing assessment of the 2026 form slump.
“I detest Vicario. He’s an absolute disgrace.”
Despite being sent out early for the second half by Tudor, the north London side could not mount a comeback.
With time running out to secure survival, pressure is mounting on the manager to make significant changes to his starting line-up.
