Tottenham's Relegation Struggles Intensify After Defeat to Crystal Palace
Struggling Tottenham sank further into relegation peril when Micky van de Ven's rash decision sparked a costly 3-1 loss to Crystal Palace on Thursday evening.
Igor Tudor's team threw away their early advantage, courtesy of Dominic Solanke, as Palace netted three goals within 12 minutes prior to the break in north London.
Tottenham's Van de Ven received his marching orders for a reckless professional foul on Ismaila Sarr, who then slotted away the ensuing spot-kick.
Jorgen Strand Larsen added Palace's next goal, with Sarr scoring once more, turning the mood at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium sour.
Angry supporters in the sparsely filled stadium booed interim manager Tudor and his squad at the end, after many left well before Tottenham's ordeal concluded.
Sitting in 16th position, Tottenham hold a slim one-point buffer from the drop zone following third-from-bottom West Ham's victory over Fulham on Wednesday.
The team has now dropped five league matches in a row and remains without a top-flight triumph in 11 straight outings, a streak unseen since 1975.
With only a single home league win from their past 13, Tottenham face serious risk of dropping to the second division for the first time since 1977-78.
That stands as their sole campaign below the elite level since 1950.
Nine fixtures remain to avert a shocking demotion, beginning with a visit to Liverpool on March 15.
Prior to that, Tottenham face a Champions League round of 16 opener against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, though continental matters now seem secondary.
After losses to London foes Arsenal and Fulham in Tudor's initial games succeeding Thomas Frank's dismissal, Palace delivered another setback to Tottenham, potentially setting up derbies against second-tier outfits like Millwall, Charlton, and QPR next term.
Tottenham risk drifting into a drop that could drain up to £260 million ($346 million), per a recent analysis.
This would hit hard for a club already down £129 million last year, during a time of the third-highest running expenses among European sides.
Spurs in Turmoil
Tudor offered harsh words on his squad post their Fulham reverse, claiming a fight against relegation pales against the genuine stresses faced by medics.
Yet within 60 seconds, Tottenham's nerves showed as Palace's Adam Wharton found plenty of room to test Guglielmo Vicario with a strong effort, which the keeper parried well.
Palace believed they led when Strand Larsen set up Sarr, whose attempt glanced off Pedro Porro into the net.
After a prolonged VAR review, the decision favoured Tottenham with an offside call against Sarr, allowing the home side to go ahead in the 34th minute.
Archie Gray broke loose on the right flank, delivering a driven pass that Solanke finished with a volley at point-blank range.
Tottenham's joy proved fleeting, however, as Palace capitalised on poor marking in the 40th minute.
Van de Ven let Sarr slip behind him inside the box and yanked at the Senegalese attacker in desperation.
The Dutch defender got his red card, and Sarr worsened the pain by deceiving Vicario from the penalty spot.
Tudor reshaped to a five-man defence, yet it changed nothing.
Tottenham undid themselves once more, as Mathys Tel lost the ball sloppily, enabling Wharton to feed Strand Larsen for a close-range strike beyond Vicario.
Tudor's group fell apart, and Palace sealed the decisive strike right before half-time.
Wharton's precise delivery exposed Tottenham's fragile backline, letting Sarr tap in and prompting a wave of departing fans towards the exits.
The tough night for Tudor peaked darkly when Porro, upon being subbed, vented at the Croatian coach before tossing a water bottle onto the pitch.