-myKhel Team

Dominic Solanke warned that Tottenham must stop searching for reasons after a 3-1 home defeat against Crystal Palace increased serious relegation concerns. The forward said Spurs can no longer rely on explanations, as an 11-match winless league sequence dragged Igor Tudor’s team closer to the bottom three.

Solanke had given Spurs an early advantage, but Tottenham’s collapse after Micky van de Ven’s dismissal left supporters furious at full-time. Booing greeted referee Andy Madley’s whistle, with the club now enduring Premier League form not seen for more than two decades and struggling to halt a damaging slide.

Spurs are on their longest league run without victory since October 1975 under Terry Neill, going 11 games without success this season with seven draws and four defeats. They have also been beaten in five straight Premier League fixtures for the first time since a six-game sequence in November 2004.

The poor sequence spans the start of 2026 as well. Only in 1935, when Tottenham went 15 league matches without winning from the beginning of the year, have they started a calendar year worse than the current 11-game winless run in this campaign, adding weight to growing relegation worries.

Solanke stressed that the squad understand the severity of their situation and must respond on the pitch, not only in interviews. “We’ve just had a big conversation,” Solanke told TNT Sports. “We know the position we are in is definitely not where we want to be, so we need to figure out how we are going to get out of it as soon as possible.”

Solanke challenged teammates to accept responsibility as pressure grows. “We know there’ve been difficulties, but we’re not in a position to make any excuses anymore. We need to do the job on the pitch. It is easy to say we want to be better, but we want to be better on the pitch. We need to fight and realise the position we are in.”

The forward also underlined how unusual this situation is for Tottenham. “We know the club is not used to being in this position, so we need to understand it and understand it’s not going to be easy, and we need to fight every single game, every single minute, to make sure we improve.”

Tottenham Spurs relegation fears, match details and red card

The match turned dramatically after Solanke’s opener. The striker finished in the 34th minute to put Tudor’s side ahead, but Van de Ven received a red card four minutes later, leaving Spurs with ten players for more than 50 minutes against an organised Crystal Palace side managed by Oliver Glasner.

Palace had already seen Ismaila Sarr denied by an offside flag before the equaliser arrived. Sarr finally levelled, then Jorgen Strand Larsen struck in the first minute of first-half stoppage time to put the visitors ahead. Sarr added a second before the break, and Palace protected that 3-1 lead through a controlled second half.

Tottenham Spurs relegation fears, discipline and Tudor record

Tottenham’s discipline again proved costly. Van de Ven was sent off for the first time since joining the club, on what was the defender’s 86th appearance in all competitions. Across the 2025-26 Premier League season, only Chelsea have more red cards, with seven compared to Spurs’ four.

Tudor has not yet earned a point since replacing Thomas Frank. The Croatian coach has lost all three Premier League matches in charge, becoming only the second Tottenham head coach in the competition’s history to be beaten in the first three games, matching Martin Jol’s start in November 2004.

Tottenham Spurs relegation fears, Opta data and Tudor optimism

Despite the negative results, predictive data does not yet place Tottenham among the main favourites for relegation. The Opta supercomputer has given Spurs a 14% probability of dropping into the Championship. In its simulations, West Ham feature at 49.8% and Nottingham Forest at 28.2%, making those clubs more likely to go down.

Tudor pointed to signs of character. “We are disappointed we lost. The red card changed the game. Then we conceded two or three fastgoals,” Tudor added. “In the second half, we tried. We wanted some good energy. I saw something that made me believe we can do it, and I am sure we will do.”

The head coach explained that Tottenham could not sit back despite being a player short. “The game plan was to believe when weattackthat we are going to score; otherwise, you cannot stay defending with one player [less], and, unfortunately, it was not enough. After this game, I believe more than before. I know it is not easy. It is a moment, but it will pass. It will pass.”

Tudor also confirmed that the main discussion with the squad would remain private. “The message I said to them [the players] is not [for the] public.” With an away trip to Liverpool on 15 March approaching, Tottenham carry heavy pressure but still retain a statistical edge over several rivals in the fight to stay in the Premier League.

<![CDATA[]]>