Key stats
- Archie Gray (19y 291d) is the youngest Englishman to score for Tottenham in the Premier League since Dele Alli in January 2016 (19y 287d - also v Crystal Palace).
- Six of the nine Premier League goals Crystal Palace have conceded in December have been from set pieces, including each of the last six in a row.
- Crystal Palace have now failed to win any of their last five matches when conceding first in the Premier League, since a victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers in May.
Highlights
Analysis
Tottenham looked dangerous in spells, particularly at the end of the match as Crystal Palace faded.
Match report
Coming into the contest in the midst of a four-match winless slump (D1, L3) across all competitions, Palace looked determined to recapture their best form against Thomas Frank’s struggling visitors.
However, despite a bright opening quarter-hour for the Eagles, they were fortunate not to fall behind in the 17th minute, when Richarlison’s well-taken finish at the back post was ruled out for an offside against Lucas Bergvall in the build-up.
Grateful for that reprieve, the hosts continued to threaten in the final third, as Jean-Philippe Mateta drilled a strike narrowly wide of the far post, before the Frenchman headed another glorious chance over the bar from close range.
Justin Devenny and Adam Wharton saw further opportunities saved by Guglielmo Vicario, and the Eagles were punished for their profligacy shortly before HT, when Richarlison’s clever header was glanced into the net by Gray for the midfielder’s first-ever goal in senior football.
Having won their final PL game in each of the last four calendar years, Palace came flying out of the blocks at the start of the second period, with Devenny inexplicably firing over from six yards after good work by Yeremy Pino and Nathaniel Clyne.
The hosts remained on the front foot with time ticking into the final 25 minutes, but wasteful finishing continued to prove problematic, as Maxence Lacroix directed a close-range header wide of the target.
After withstanding plenty of pressure, Tottenham thought they’d delivered a killer blow in the 75th minute, only for Richarlison’s tap-in to be disallowed for a marginal offside.
That set up a fascinating finale, as substitute Wilson Odobert fired against the post for the visitors in an end-to-end conclusion to the contest.
Ultimately, Frank’s men held firm to end 2026 on a high, moving up to 11th in the PL in the process.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Archie Gray (Tottenham Hotspur)
Post-match comments
Tottenham's Archie Gray to Sky Sports:
"When I turned around and I didn't see my teammates celebrating with me I was a bit confused - 'have I actually just scored?'
"But it's a good feeling. Definitely one that took too long.
"I didn't have to do much. I was so close to the goal, I just needed to flick it on really. It was a good flick.
"It's the best feeling. You work your whole life for that moment. Hopefully I can keep it going.
"Everyone is saying they weren't expecting it to be a header, but that one come off my dad's instincts."
Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner to BBC Sport:
"When I see the way we are playing against a Tottenham team who looked like every shot was a goal, one set play, we will see.
"Again it is quite simple. You just need to look at the stats. We are the team that are constantly underperforming in scoring goals when we create a lot, but nobody does it on purpose. We need to get this fixed."