Igor Tudor said he saw enough in Tottenham’s 3-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace to increase his belief they can still avoid relegation. Spurs took the lead through Dominic Solanke but collapsed after Micky van de Ven was sent off; Tudor has now lost all three of his games in charge. Tottenham, last relegated from the top flight in 1977, sit one point above the drop zone and travel to Liverpool next in the Premier League.
Key moments
– 29 mins: Sarr finished a sweeping Palace move, but the goal was later ruled out after VAR.
– 33 mins: Sarr’s disallowed strike stood after a lengthy check found his nose offside.
– 35 mins: Solanke put Tottenham ahead from close range.
– 38 mins: Van de Ven was sent off for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity when he pulled back Sarr.
– 40 mins: Sarr levelled from the penalty awarded for the foul.
– 45+1: Strand Larsen put Palace ahead as his shot went in off Vicario’s legs.
– 45+7: Sarr completed Palace’s third, prompting many home fans to leave early.
Tudor acknowledged supporters’ frustration and admitted the red card changed everything, but said he came away from the match more convinced than before that the squad can be turned around. He said he must pick the right players and that once injured players return he expects to have a stronger team. When asked if he would still be in charge at Liverpool, he declined to comment.
Bookmakers have lengthened Spurs’ relegation odds to 19/10, an implied probability of roughly 35 percent.
Pundits and reaction
– Sky Sports’ Gary Cotterill joked about how brief Tudor’s stint has been, asking if it could end in 118 minutes.
– Sky’s Lewis Jones pointed out that the league table only measures points and argued clubs in a relegation scrap often view a managerial change as the quickest way to provoke improvement — sacking after three weeks can be seen as a rational move when results are so poor.
Damning Spurs statistics
– Tottenham have failed to win any of their last 11 league games for the first time since October 1975 (D7 L4).
– Only in 1935 has the club endured a longer winless start to a calendar year than these 11 matches in 2026.
– They have lost five successive Premier League matches for the first time since November 2004.
– Tudor is only the second Spurs head coach in Premier League history to lose each of his first three matches in charge.
– Spurs have conceded two or more goals in nine successive league matches for the first time in the club’s history.
– Only Chelsea (7) have received more red cards than Spurs’ four this season.
Upcoming fixtures (next six)
– Tue Mar 10: Atletico Madrid (A) — Champions League
– Sun Mar 15: Liverpool (A) — Premier League
– Wed Mar 18: Atletico Madrid (H) — Champions League
– Sun Mar 22: Nottingham Forest (H) — Premier League
– Sun Apr 12: Sunderland (A) — Premier League
– Sat Apr 18: Brighton (H) — Premier League
With momentum against them and a difficult run of fixtures ahead, Tottenham face growing pressure to start turning points into results quickly if they are to climb clear of danger.