Tottenham Secure Three Consecutive Premier League Wins for First Time in Nearly Two Years

The long wait is over. After almost 21 months, Tottenham Hotspur have managed to string together three consecutive Premier League wins once again. Spurs delivered a commanding performance on Saturday against Crystal Palace, who were reduced to ten men in just the 13th minute after striker Jean-Philippe Mateta was shown a straight red card for a reckless challenge on Micky van de Ven.

The victory propelled Tottenham into the unaccustomed territory of the top half of the table. Archie Gray and Jan Paul van Hecke found the back of the net to sustain Spurs' resurgence. The turnaround began with their first league win of the season at home to Coventry City, swiftly followed by a standout away triumph against Chelsea—only Tottenham's second Premier League victory at Stamford Bridge in 36 years.

Ahead of kick-off against Crystal Palace, the atmosphere at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was cautious, shaped by recent years of frustration. Hosting a struggling side felt more like a potential banana skin than a routine opportunity to build momentum. However, Tottenham refused to let anxiety dictate proceedings. Capitalising ruthlessly on the advantage gifted by Mateta's dismissal, Spurs eased to an emphatic win.

Three straight league victories suddenly feel like a rare prize for the club. Tottenham last achieved such a run back in February 2025—more than 600 days ago. Remarkably, these three wins match Spurs' entire victory tally from their previous 26 Premier League fixtures, a sequence that yielded 10 draws and 13 defeats stretching back to the middle of last season.

If further proof were needed of Tottenham's recent struggles, this run also features back-to-back home league wins for the first time in two years. The current streak offers a level of consistency that had completely deserted the side, whose previous brand of consistency involved regular defeats and consecutive 17th-place finishes in the top flight.

A palpable shift in mood is sweeping through Tottenham, visibly lifting the atmosphere at their home ground after clearing a crucial mental hurdle with that long-awaited first victory over Coventry.

Head coach Roberto De Zerbi spoke to BBC Sport's Match of the Day following the match:

"The passion we showed was impressive. We didn't lose our focus or concentration. Our reaction every time we lost possession was incredible. We could have scored more goals, but we created a lot of chances. We need to be more ruthless, especially in the final third and particularly with our finishing. I am happy because even before the game, I knew it would be difficult."

De Zerbi called for patience regarding his marquee summer signings. Midfielders Sandro Tonali—brought in from Newcastle United for £100m—and Mateus Fernandes—signed from West Ham United for £85m—both endured tricky starts to life in north London. While any optimism surrounding Spurs must still be tempered with caution, the expensive pair are beginning to show why De Zerbi was so keen to build his midfield revamp around them.

Tonali began to demonstrate his true quality against Coventry City and played a vital role here with his mobility, physical presence, and incisive distribution. Fernandes was a livewire throughout, constantly probing space and looking for the decisive pass. Meanwhile, Dejan Kulusevski, welcomed with customary applause on his return from a lengthy injury layoff, delivered another lively cameo from the bench, posing a relentless threat and forcing Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson into a fine save.

There is a growing sense that things are finally clicking for Tottenham and that their £300m summer outlay is starting to pay dividends, as expected after such substantial investment. The match statistics underlined Spurs' complete dominance. Crystal Palace, however, battled admirably with ten men and never looked like a group that had stopped playing for manager Pierre Sage.

Nevertheless, pressure continues to mount on Sage with Palace stuck in the relegation zone, having won just twice in nine league outings. Tottenham unleashed 34 shots on goal compared to just two from the visitors. That 32-shot differential represents the largest disparity Spurs have ever recorded against an opponent since Opta began collecting data in the 2003/04 season.

It also stands as the highest shot margin by any Premier League side since May 2024, when Liverpool registered 36 attempts to Wolverhampton Wanderers' four. Tottenham also dominated possession with 79.4% of the ball—their second-highest possession share in a Premier League match on record, behind only the 80.2% recorded against Newcastle United in August 2019.

All of this gave De Zerbi plenty of reason to be pleased, and he reflected on the victory with renewed optimism and ambition.

"Listen, we are Tottenham. We cannot forget that we have to be ambitious, hungry for success, winning consecutive games and making our supporters proud. At the same time, we must remember where we stood in the table just two weeks ago. We need to alter the course this club has been on over the past two or three seasons. Three wins in a row are not enough. We must maintain this attitude, this spirit, and the mindset of preparing for every single match the same way."

"After the international break, we had an honest conversation among ourselves and decided to swiftly change the mood. In football, you can't ask for time, especially when you have players of this quality. I don't think anything fundamental has radically altered, but the atmosphere, the spirit, and the connection with the players are completely different now."

The mood has unmistakably shifted, and for now, Tottenham and Roberto De Zerbi are firmly on an upward trajectory.