Tottenham relegation fears deepen with home loss to Crystal Palace

LONDON, March 5 : The spectre of Premier League relegation loomed ever larger for Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday after a 3-1 home defeat by Crystal Palace left them teetering just above the drop zone.

When striker Dominic Solanke gave 16th-placed Tottenham the lead against the run of play in the 34th minute, a first league win in 2026 looked on the cards for the hosts.

But they collapsed in shambolic fashion before the interval with Palace replying three times to stun the hosts after Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven was sent off.

Van de Ven hauled back Ismaila Sarr in the area to receive a red card before Sarr coolly slotted home the resulting penalty, sending Guglielmo Vicario the wrong way.

Adam Wharton then played in Jorgen Strand Larsen to slot a low shot past Vicario in the first minute of stoppage time and provided another classy assist for Sarr to make it 3-1.

Sarr also had a goal ruled out for a marginal offside shortly before Solanke's opener.

Ten-man Tottenham battled after the break in a subdued atmosphere and emptying stadium but could not prevent a fifth successive league defeat which extended their winless league run to 11, their worst for 50 years.

They have 29 points from 29 games, one more than Nottingham Forest and West Ham United. Palace's victory lifted them into 13th place with 38 points.

Tottenham have been ever-present in the Premier League and were last relegated from the top flight in 1977, but interim manager Igor Tudor must turn things around quickly if they are to stay above the trap door.

Despite another blow, he remained relatively upbeat.

"It was two games, after the red card it was a different game. The second half we tried and I saw interesting things," Tudor told TNT Sports. "After this game I