Crystal Palace stunned the north London hosts with three powerful shots before half-time. In the end, more than half of the games were played with 10 players, and they were winless in 11 league games.
The home side took the lead in the 34th minute with Dominic Solanke scoring from close range. But the game changed dramatically four minutes later when Micky van de Ven was sent off while giving away a penalty.
Ismaila Sarr took the spot-kick and Palace quickly capitalized on their numerical advantage with a goal from Jorgen Strand Larsen, who sealed Tottenham’s first back-to-back wins.
Asked if Spurs are the worst team in the Premier League on their current form, Crouch told TNT Sports: “Since Christmas we’ve proven that to be the case, so the honest answer is yes. Wolves are picking up a bit of form and there are certain teams, West Ham and Nottingham Forest for example, who are picking up points.”
“Spurs are by far the worst team in the league at the moment, form-wise. If you think about where they’ve been and what they’ve built…the problem is, looking around the pitch tonight, even before the red card, Palace are the better team for me.”
“There aren’t many players that I would take from the Tottenham team and put into the Palace team. I really think they are the better team and that also comes down to recruitment.”
“The last few seasons have been poor. Ange Postecoglou talked about the players he wanted to bring in and what they actually brought in. That’s no disrespect to Solanke and Archie Gray and the young players they brought in at the time.”
“They’re good players, but they haven’t brought in players of the caliber he was talking about at the club. Unfortunately, there have been some bad periods and if Spurs do any better than that, they’ll end up in the position they’re in now.”
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Highlights: Spurs fans leave early as Palace defeat raises relegation fears
Video credit: TNT Sports
“If you look around the pitch now, there is clearly a lack of quality and a lack of character. That combination could ultimately lead to relegation.”
The defeat leaves Spurs in 16th place, just one point above the relegation zone, and still aiming for their first league title in 2026, while Palace move up to 13th place.
The Spurs, who suffered three consecutive losses under manager Igor Tudor, became the first team in league history to concede two or more goals in nine consecutive games.
Reflecting on the atmosphere in the stadium at the final whistle, Joe Cole said: “There’s a sense of disillusionment. They’ve changed a lot at this club and are in this position. The players came back in the second half, but that has to be the absolute minimum from now until the end of the season if this club is to stay in the Premier League.”
“But it’s just disillusionment and disbelief. If you worry about relegation and don’t do the basic things right, you’ll get caught up in it. The Premier League is ruthless.”
“If we thought they had a chance to win tonight and maybe even a little bit better than that, they’re in that position right now, there’s no doubt about that. We have to congratulate Palace as well. They came on in the first half today and were really good.”
“These fans are paying a lot of money to be there. What they’re looking for is the commitment, desire and passion that they deserve. When you feel like you’re not getting that, it’s a scary place.”
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“Disillusionment and disbelief” – Spurs fans shocked by consecutive league losses
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Tudor: I believe more than before this game.
Tottenham have only picked up four points in the Premier League since the start of the year, fewer than any other team. They are still waiting for their first win of 2026, but their last win came at the end of December when they defeated Palace at Selhurst Park.
The Spurs have not experienced a similar winless record in league football since 1935. The 1935 calendar year began with an 11-game winless streak. He was four games away from that record.
But Tudor was in a defiant mood, telling TNT Sports: “It was two games. It was the second game after the red card. We tried in the second half and saw some interesting things, but like the fans, I’m very disappointed.”
“We have to work hard and believe. After this game, I believe more than before. It may sound strange, but I felt something in the team, even in the dressing room after the game. I believe that if the team is complete and we choose the right players, we can get a good result.”
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‘We won’t talk anymore’ – Prime Minister Tudor refuses to talk about ‘pressure’ in surprise interview
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“I saw good energy, more desire to do it, more passion. We had a game, but unfortunately the red card changed the game. There are nine games left. (Christi) Romero is back, (Kevin) Danso was good today. (Pedro) Polo is completely different. Maybe the others will come back as well. We’ll be in good shape when we’re done.”
“We should stop talking about pressure. This is not a topic to talk about. We won’t talk about pressure anymore.”
In the post-match press conference, Tudor added, “The boat is going in the direction I want it to go. Those in the boat can stay and others can get off the boat. It may sound strange, but I believe more after this match than before. I saw something.”
His predecessor, Thomas Frank, previously described the club as a “supertanker” in need of a change of direction.
