Tottenham facing fight for EPL survival

LONDON (AP):

Tottenham’s English Premier League (EPL) survival hopes took another blow with a 3-1 loss to Crystal Palace yesterday.

Spurs – one of the richest teams in Europe and a founding member of the EPL – are just one point above the relegation zone and without a domestic win in 2026.

“We know that the position we are in is not where we want to be. We need to figure out how to get out of it as soon as possible,” said Tottenham striker Dominic Solanke. “There have been difficulties, but we aren’t in the position to make excuses. We need to do the job on the pitch.”

Spurs’ latest defeat was the fifth in a row and the third under new coach Igor Tudor, who was tasked with the responsibility of turning the season around.

He watched as his team capitulated in front of a home crowd at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – conceding three goals in the first half, having taken the lead and then gone down to 10 men when Micky van de Ven was sent off.

Palace took full advantage by scoring three times in seven minutes before the break.

Ismaila Sarr struck twice – one from the penalty spot – with Jorgen Strand Larsen getting the other for the visitors.

That was after Solanke had given Spurs the lead in the 34th minute. Van de Ven was red-carded four minutes later for bringing down Sarr in the box, and Palace took control.

“I am very disappointed, like the fans,” Tudor said. “We know what the moment is, and we need to keep working and believe.

“But after this game I believe more than before because I saw something in the team and in the dressing room after the game. When we will be complete, it will be good, I believe.”

One place above relegation

The deepening crisis at Tottenham comes after winning the Europa League last season and advancing to the knockout stage of the Champions League this term, where they face Atletico Madrid in the round of 16 next week.

But their desperate league form has carried on from last year when they finished one place above the relegation zone – their lowest final position in the Premier League era.

Tottenham have spent only one season out of England’s top flight since 1950 and have been an established member of the EPL since the competition’s inception in 1992.

They are two-time English league champions and were Champions League finalists in 2019.

Tottenham’s near-63,000 capacity stadium is one of the most impressive in Europe and regularly hosts NFL games as well as top music concerts.

Deloitte ranked Spurs ninth on its most recent rich list in January with revenues of US$781 million. That placed Tottenham above giants like Chelsea, Inter Milan, AC Milan, and Juventus.