After almost 21 months, Tottenham Hotspur have won three Premier League games in succession again. Spurs cruised to victory on Saturday against Crystal Palace, who were reduced to 10 men after 13 minutes when striker Jean-Philippe Mateta was sent off for an ill-judged lunge at Micky van de Ven. It means Tottenham have moved into the dizzy heights of the top half of the table.
Archie Gray and Jan Paul van Hecke scored as Spurs built on a platform established by their first league win of the season at home to Coventry City, then fortified by the outstanding victory at Chelsea - only Spurs' second league triumph at Stamford Bridge in 36 years. But the prevailing mood inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before kick-off against Palace, undoubtedly shaped by the past, was that the visit of a struggling side represented a banana skin rather than an opportunity. Tottenham's players weren't having that, though.
Instead, Spurs grasped gratefully at the helping hand offered by Mateta's recklessness to end up convincing winners. Three straight wins represent riches indeed. The last time this happened for Tottenham was in February 2025, more than 600 days ago.
Three wins is as many as Spurs had in their previous 26 league games combined, in which they drew 10 and lost 13, going back to midway through last season. And, if a further indicator was needed as to just how poor Spurs have been in recent times, this is the first occasion when they have recorded back-to-back home wins in the league for two years. This latest sequence represents consistency of the sort that has eluded Spurs in recent years, the previous incarnation being the consistency of regular defeats and two successive 17th-place finishes in the Premier League.
We are witnessing a significant mood shift at Spurs, reflected inside this magnificent arena since the psychological barrier of the vital first league win was crossed against Coventry. Head coach Roberto de Zerbi told BBC Sport's Match Of The Day: "The passion we showed - we didn't lose the focus, the concentration. We made an incredible reaction when we lost the ball.
"We could have scored more goals, but we created many chances. We have to be more nasty, especially in the last third of the match, especially in the finishing. I'm happy because I knew before this would be a tough game." De Zerbi pleaded for patience for his big summer acquisitions, with midfield duo Sandro Tonali, a £100m arrival from Newcastle United, and £85m signing Mateus Fernandes, who came from West Ham United, both starting slowly.
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