Tottenham Hotspur finally found some relief in the Premier League as Archie Gray’s first senior goal proved decisive in a gritty 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, securing just Spurs’ second league win in nine matches, Softfootball reports.
Both sides came into the contest under pressure. Palace were still reeling from a painful Carabao Cup quarter-final exit to Arsenal, where they were knocked out on penalties, while Tottenham arrived having lost their previous two league outings, including a woeful 3-0 defeat away to Nottingham Forest. With confidence fragile on both sides, intensity rather than fluency defined the early exchanges.
Palace started brightly and looked the more assertive side in the opening stages, but they were fortunate not to fall behind in the 17th minute. Richarlison thought he had given Spurs the lead with a tidy finish at the back post, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside against Lucas Bergvall in the build-up.
The hosts responded positively to that scare and created several promising chances. Jean-Philippe Mateta drilled narrowly wide before inexplicably heading over from close range, while Justin Devenny and Adam Wharton both tested Guglielmo Vicario, who stood firm in the Tottenham goal.
Palace’s wastefulness would come back to haunt them just before the break, as Richarlison nodded a clever header across goal for Gray to glance home, marking the midfielder’s first-ever senior goal and giving Spurs a precious half-time lead.
Palace emerged with renewed urgency after the restart, desperate to avoid another frustrating defeat. Devenny blazed over from six yards early in the second half, while Maxence Lacroix later directed a free header wide as the Eagles continued to apply pressure without reward. Tottenham were forced to defend deep for long spells, relying on organisation and resilience rather than attacking threat.
Spurs thought they had wrapped up the points midway through the second half when Richarlison tapped in from close range, but once again celebrations were cut short by a marginal offside call. That decision kept Palace alive and set up a tense finale, with Wilson Odobert striking the post for the visitors as the game opened up late on.
After the game, Tottenham shared via its official X handle, the post match reaction of coach Thomas Frank on the important victory away from home. They posted
Despite sustained Palace pressure, Tottenham held firm to see out the victory, ending their poor league run and climbing up to 11th in the table. For Crystal Palace, it was another frustrating afternoon that compounded their recent cup disappointment, while for Spurs and Thomas Frank, Gray’s moment of quality offered a timely boost h
eading into the new year.
