Spurs take advantage of Mateta red to win
Tottenham Hotspur made it three consecutive Premier League wins under Roberto De Zerbi for the first time as it cruised to a 2-0 victory over 10-man Crystal Palace.
After their win over Coventry City, Spurs have claimed back-to-back London derby victories, having beaten Chelsea 2-0 last time out before overcoming Palace.
Jean-Philippe Mateta was shown a straight red card after just 13 minutes at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Archie Gray and Jan Paul van Hecke scoring either side of half-time.
Palace's evening began in disastrous fashion as Mateta was given his marching orders for a reckless lunge from behind on Mickey van de Ven, prompting referee Michael Oliver to upgrade his initial yellow card decision to a straight red after a video assistant referee (VAR) review.
Mohammed Kudus drilled a first-time effort wide as De Zerbi's side looked to make its man advantage count immediately, and it did not take long for the breakthrough to arrive.
Gray put Spurs up 1-0 in the 24th minute, meeting Kudus's corner with a delightful header back across goal from the far post, leaving Dean Henderson with no chance.
Dominic Solanke and Andy Robertson threatened to extend the hosts' lead before half-time, but the Eagles held firm to keep the deficit to a single goal at the break.
Spurs emerged for the second half with renewed intent and almost doubled their advantage through Mathys Tel, whose low shot was blocked by Chris Richards, before Solanke flashed a superb effort on the spin that forced Henderson into a sharp one-handed save.
Palace's best opportunity of the evening came in the 63rd minute, with Daichi Kamada picking out Dwight McNeil inside the box, but his shot was snuffed out by a steadfast Tottenham defence.
Spurs quickly regained control, with Pedro Porro blazing over the bar before Robertson let another promising opportunity slip with a heavy touch that allowed Henderson to gather.
The hosts eventually made their dominance count in the 73rd minute through Van Hecke, who first headed against the bar before reacting quickly to poke the rebound beyond Henderson and into the net at the second time of asking.
Kudus, Sandro Tonali and Dejan Kulusevski all missed further chances to add gloss to the scoreline, although Tottenham's victory was never in doubt.
