Tottenham 2-0 Crystal Palace: Mateta sent off, Kudus assists, Palace drop into relegation zone

A tackle settled the evening before it had properly begun. In the 13th minute, Jean-Philippe Mateta arrived late, studs first, on the heel of Micky van de Ven. Michael Oliver first showed a yellow card, then VAR sent him to the pitchside monitor and the yellow was upgraded to red for serious foul play.

Twelve minutes later, Mohammed Kudus delivered a corner to the back post and Archie Gray headed in. Palace then dropped deep in front of Dean Henderson and Tottenham piled up attempts without killing off the game. Relief had to wait until the 73rd minute and Jan Paul van Hecke's second effort. Henderson then kept out Conor Gallagher and Dejan Kulusevski; Kudus had a goal disallowed for offside, then narrowly missed the ball put across by Luca Williams-Barnett, 18, who came on for his Premier League debut.

34 shots for two goals

Tottenham had 34 shots to 2, 24 of them inside the box, with 79% possession and 19 corners to none. Van Hecke alone completed 151 passes, as many as Palace managed in the entire match. Those gaps owe much to more than 75 minutes played with eleven against ten: they describe a scenario as much as a level.

The other column tells the story of resistance. Spurs put only 9 shots on target, 13 were blocked and Henderson made 7 saves. With 3.55 expected goals for 2 goals scored, their dominance could have been reflected more heavily on the scoreline. At the other end, Palace had 0.21 expected goals and a single shot on target, from Daichi Kamada: Antonín Kinský had hardly anything to do.

A corner, a crossbar, a second attempt

25th minute: Kudus's corner finds Gray at the back post, and the right-back's header beats Henderson. The Ghanaian thus records his only assist of the evening.

73rd minute: van Hecke wins his aerial duel, Henderson turns the ball onto the bar, but it comes back to the Dutch defender, who pushes it in at the second attempt. The goal is nothing elegant. It ends a long spell of Tottenham pressure and Palace's hopes.

The red card changed everything, but not everything is settled

The turning point is beyond debate: without the sending-off, this match would not have taken this shape. But both sides deserve a closer look. Tottenham monopolised the ball without being caught out, yet their build-up play did not open up the block: both goals came from a corner and a loose ball.

For Palace, the defeat weighs heavier than the scoreline. The team defended diligently, but again conceded from a set piece and lost a striker, suspended for three league matches, the punishment prescribed for serious foul play. Pierre Sage, already under pressure, sees his side slide into the bottom three.

The scorer taken off at half-time

Booked in the 15th minute, Gray did not reappear after the break, and Pedro Porro came on in his place. Gallagher replaced Dominic Solanke in the 66th minute, while Destiny Udogie and Kulusevski came on in the 77th. For Palace, Sage sent on Eddie Nketiah and Anan Khalaili in the 60th minute, without his team getting any more shots on target.

Kudus decisive, Marmoush lively

Ghana international Mohammed Kudus played the full 90 minutes: one assist, 3 key passes, 4 successful dribbles out of 9 and 11 duels won out of 23. His only regret was that none of his 3 shots was on target, including the late chance. Egyptian Omar Marmoush, substituted in the 77th minute, put one of his 4 attempts on target, completed all 3 of his dribbles and delivered 3 key passes.

Tottenham eighth, Palace in the drop zone

After Chelsea and Coventry, Tottenham make it three wins in a row and sit 8th with 12 points. Crystal Palace, 18th with 7 points and a goal difference of -12, have now lost three league games in a row. Spurs travel to Leeds on 7 November. Palace host Hoffenheim in the Europa League on 5 November, before Liverpool visit Selhurst Park.

SNA Player of the Match: Jan Paul van Hecke

The defender scored the goal that settled the match and held his side's possession together: 151 passes, 3 key passes, 5 shots with 2 on target and 4 duels won out of 4. He played like a deep-lying playmaker, in a game in which Tottenham had almost nothing left to defend.