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Eighteen months can be a very long time in football – especially if you are still a teenager. After a mixed start to life in north London, Archie Gray could not have picked a better occasion to score his first Tottenham goal since joining from Leeds in the summer of 2024 than his 60th appearance. With Thomas Frank already showing signs of not being the first Spurs manager to have been overwhelmed by expectations after a run of just one win in their previous eight Premier League matches, Gray’s scrappy header in the first half ensured that a topsy-turvy year ended with a victory that lifts his side to within one point of Crystal Palace in the table.
Of the 20 goals that Oliver Glasner’s side have conceded this season in the league, 12 have come from set-pieces and Palace have now failed to win any of their last five matches as a packed schedule has finally caught up with them. But this was all about Gray as the 19-year-old midfielder who left the pitch to a standing ovation and big hug from Frank after becoming the youngest Englishman to score for Tottenham in the Premier League since a certain Dele Alli in January 2016.
Tottenham’s positive start on the road under Frank seemed a distant memory in the buildup to this trip to south London. Having gone eight games unbeaten, Spurs had since failed to win any of their past five away fixtures in all competitions, including four defeats. Their chances of ending that run looked to have been seriously hampered by the absence of their captain Cristian Romero and playmaker Xavi Simons after their red cards against Liverpool last week, not to mention a long injury list.
But at least Tottenham escaped another early dismissal when Romero’s replacement Kevin Danso tripped Justin Devenny just outside the penalty area after just four minutes when the Northern Irishman was clean through on goal. The referee, Jarred Gillett immediately showed him a yellow card because Pedro Porro was deemed to be covering back, even if Glasner disagreed.
There was another big decision to be made by the officials when Richarlison touched in Porro’s cross at the far post in the 16th minute. Yet despite the confidence of the snazzy green and black boot-wearing assistant referee Scott Ledger who wagged his finger to suggest Lucas Bergvall had not been offside in the move that led to the goal, replays showed he was at least two feet beyond the last man.
Palace have struggled to maintain the excellent form that took them up to fourth place at the start of this month and looked determined to end their search for a victory in front of their own fans. Yet even with the sublime Adam Wharton pulling the strings in midfield, they had to wait until midway through the first 45 minutes to register their first real chance when Jean-Philippe Mateta’s driven effort midway whistled past the post. A delightful cross from Wharton then picked out Maxence Lacroix at the far post and Mateta was inches away from converting when the defender headed the ball back across goal.
Instead it was Palace’s shortcomings from set-pieces that were exposed when Tottenham took the lead just before half-time. 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 and somehow Randal Kolo Muani, Richarlison and finally Gray were all allowed to win headers inside the six-yard box after a corner was whipped to the back post. Cue massive celebrations from Frank on the Spurs bench and in the away section.
Palace should have equalised 10 minutes into the second half when Yéremy Pino’s cross was headed straight into Devenny’s path. But a moment’s hesitation meant he had to improvise and could only lift his shot over the crossbar from close range. Glasner turned to the former Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah to lift his side and there was a noticeable increase in impetus. Tottenham were content to hang on and they were almost undone when Lacroix rose to meet Jefferson Lerma’s header from another excellent Wharton cross and could only direct his effort wide of the target.
Spurs thought they had sealed the win when Richarlison tapped in a Mohammed Kudus cross but once again the video assistant referee came to Palace’s rescue. Substitute Wilson Odobert struck the post after a quick break downfield involving Brennan Johnson, who is a target for Palace in January. The closest they came to rescuing a point came when Marc Guéhi headed over in the dying moments but this is a team in serious need of reinforcements. Frank will hope that this could be the turning point for Tottenham.
