The wait finally ends. Nearly 21 months later, Tottenham Hotspur have secured three consecutive Premier League victories.
Spurs rolled past Crystal Palace on Saturday, who were reduced to ten men after 13 minutes when striker Jean‑Philippe Mateta received a red card for a mistimed lunge on Micky van de Ven.
The win lifts Tottenham into the coveted top half of the table.
Archie Gray and Jan Paul van Hecke found the net as Spurs built on the platform set by their season‑opening home win over Coventry City and the stunning triumph at Chelsea – only their second league success at Stamford Bridge in 36 years.
Inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the mood before the Palace clash was tinged by history, viewing the struggling visitors as a banana skin rather than a chance.
The players ignored that narrative, instead seizing the opening created by Mateta’s folly to claim a convincing victory.
Three straight wins are pure gold.
That tally equals the total Spurs managed in their previous 26 league games, a stretch that yielded ten draws and thirteen defeats dating back to mid‑last season.
If proof was needed of recent woes, this marks the first time in two years they have posted back‑to‑back home league wins.
The current run signals the kind of consistency that has long evaded them, replacing the previous pattern of regular losses and two consecutive 17th‑place finishes.
We are witnessing a palpable mood shift inside this magnificent arena since the psychological barrier fell with the vital first league win against Coventry.
“We could have scored more, but we created plenty of chances. We must be nastier, especially in the final third and with our finishing. I’m pleased because I knew this would be a tough game,” he said.
De Zerbi urged patience for his marquee summer signings – midfield duo Sandro Tonali, a £100 m arrival from Newcastle United, and £85 m recruit Mateus Fernandes from West Ham United – both of whom have started slowly.
While optimism about Spurs always carries caution, the pricey pair are now showing why De Zerbi was willing to invest heavily to drive his transformation.
Tonali began to come alive against Coventry City, using his running power, physicality and creativity, while Fernandes stayed lively, constantly probing for the decisive pass.
Once again, after his long injury layoff, Dejan Kulusevski made a lively cameo off the bench, threatening continuously and forcing a fine save from Palace keeper Dean Henderson.
In my view, the £300 m summer outlay finally appears to be bearing fruit.
The stats underscored Spurs’ dominance, though Palace fought bravely despite being a man down, never seeming a side that had given up on coach Pierre Sage, who now faces mounting pressure as his side sit in the bottom three with just two wins from nine league matches.
Spurs registered 34 shots while Palace managed only two – a 32‑shot differential, the largest any opponent has forced since Opta began tracking in 2003‑04.
It also tops the league since Liverpool fired 36 shots at Wolverhampton Wanderers in May 2024.
Possession sat at 79.4%, the second‑highest ever for Spurs in a Premier League game after the 80.2% against Newcastle United in August 2019.
Spurs pile pressure on Sage as 10‑man Palace are beaten
“Listen, we are Tottenham. We can’t forget ambition, hunger, winning consecutive games and delighting our fans,” De Zerbi said.
“Two weeks ago we were at the bottom; we must change the narrative of the past two‑three seasons. Three wins in a row isn’t enough – we need to sustain this spirit, this attitude, and prepare each match the same way,” he added.
“After the international break we spoke honestly and decided to shift the mood quickly because in football you can’t ask for time, especially with the talent we have. Nothing else has changed, but the atmosphere, spirit and player relationships are completely different,” he continued.
The mood has shifted and, for now, the trajectory points upward for Spurs and De Zerbi.