Evening Standard
·5 March 2026
Three things we learned from Tottenham defeat as fans turn on board

In partnership with
Yahoo sportsEvening Standard
·5 March 2026

Relegation looking very real for Igor Tudor’s struggling side
10-man Tottenham have been left on the brink of the relegation zone after falling to a 3-1 defeat at home to Crystal Palace.
Dominic Solanke looked to have set Spurs on their way to a much-needed three points before Micky van de Ven was sent off for a pull on Ismaila Sarr inside the box.
Sarr netted the resulting penalty, and from there Palace took control, scoring twice in first-half stoppage-time through Jorgen Strand Larsen and Sarr.
Spurs staring into the abyss after dramatic collapse
Tottenham knew the permutations heading into tonight’s game, but what transpired in a truly shocking first half was nothing short of a nightmare.
There was understandably a nervous atmosphere inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before kick-off, but no Spurs supporter could honestly say they expected Igor Tudor’s side to fall apart in such dramatic fashion, especially after Solanke had given the hosts the lead.
What came next was a blur of Palace celebrations and a stunned silence from the home fans, who, only 18 minutes prior to Sarr putting Oliver Glasner’s side 3-1 up, had been celebrating what looked to be a crucial goal in their bid to stay up.

Seeing red: Micky van de Ven
Getty Images
Spurs are staring face-first into the abyss right now, and there is no guarantee that Tudor lasts the next 24 hours after what has been an utterly dismal three weeks at the helm.
The Croat was brought to the club tasked with delivering immediate results, yet Spurs remain the only top flight team not to win a league game this year, and performances have somehow got worse than they were under Thomas Frank.
Spurs are statistically the worst team in the division right now. This does not just feel like relegation form. It is relegation form, and there is nothing to suggest they are not now favourites to go down.
Supporters turn on board as toxic atmosphere takes hold
The toxic atmosphere that has engulfed the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has been clear for all to see this season, but tonight, supporters’ anger turned upstairs.
The club’s board have been heavily criticised by supporters, but never before in this manner, inside the stadium that they hold up as a beacon of their success.
Frustration had been building almost as soon as Sarr struck from the spot, and as the half-time whistle blew, the home supporters closest to the press box let loose, firing off vitriol at the club’s analysts and then later towards the director’s box.
It is ultimately on the pitch where the points lie for Spurs, but the brunt of their frustrations will be with those who make the decisions off the pitch after years of neglect and complacency.
Chief executive Vinai Venkateshan was in attendance tonight, and he can be under no illusions as to how supporters feel towards him and the rest of the board.
A half-empty stadium told the whole story at full-time.
Vice-captain Van de Ven lets Tudor down on damaging night
Spurs have now been let down by both their captain and vice-captain in quick succession.
They are a team desperately lacking leaders, with no one to look to in their desperate bid to beat the drop.
Van de Ven knew what he was doing pulling Sarr down inside the box. He can have no complaints about his dismissal, but it beggars belief that he did not have the foresight to think twice about making the challenge and allowing the Palace forward a free run at goal.

Disappointment: Conor Gallagher
John Walton/PA Wire
Even if the Senegalese had scored, Spurs had shown enough with 11 men on the pitch to suggest they were still more than capable of getting a result.
Instead, Van de Ven’s hapless decision took the game out of the hosts’ hands and left them wide open to the inevitable Palace onslaught.
It is damning that supposedly Spurs’ two most commanding presences can’t keep their head at a time when the club needs them most.
What are their younger players supposed to do? What are they supposed to think, when those who are supposed to be cajoling the dressing room set such a poor standard?
It is a case of one in, one out for Spurs now, with Cristian Romero set to return from his four-game suspension next weekend. A complete mess of a situation and a dereliction of duty.
Live









































