Pierre Sage walked into north London needing a result to steady his position. He walked out with his Crystal Palace side in the Premier League’s bottom three, a third straight league defeat on the board and his future, by his own admission, resting in someone else’s hands.
Tottenham Hotspur beat ten-man Palace 2-0 on Saturday afternoon, 31 October, after Jean-Philippe Mateta was sent off with just 13 minutes on the clock. Headers from Archie Gray and Jan Paul van Hecke did the damage, and Roberto De Zerbi’s resurgent Spurs moved into the top half.
The 13th-minute moment that wrecked Palace’s plan
Mateta’s afternoon lasted barely a quarter of an hour. As Micky van de Ven rolled the ball back to goalkeeper Antonín Kinský, the Palace striker caught the Dutch defender’s heel with his studs. Referee Michael Oliver initially showed a yellow card, but VAR sent him to the pitchside monitor and he upgraded it to red, according to reports from Goal and The Guardian.
It was the second time this season Palace have been reduced to ten men for most of a match, following Axel Disasi’s red card against Ipswich Town earlier in the campaign.
Spurs made the extra man count. Gray rose unmarked to head in a Mohammed Kudus corner around the 25-minute mark, and Van Hecke added the second from close range in the 73rd minute after an initial header came back off the bar. It meant three consecutive league wins for Tottenham for the first time in 616 days, a striking turnaround for a club that sat in the relegation zone in early September.
‘I am responsible’: Sage faces the music
Sage, appointed in June after Oliver Glasner’s contract ended, did not hide from the situation afterwards. He told reporters he was responsible for the run and that he was the person who would find the solution, according to The Guardian’s report. He also vowed to be first on the training pitch on Monday morning.
But the Frenchman also acknowledged the reality that only chairman Steve Parish can decide his fate. Goal reported that Parish was seen looking unimpressed in the stands after Gray’s opener, and that former Everton boss Sean Dyche and ex-Brentford and Tottenham manager Thomas Frank have been mentioned in reports as possible replacements. Those names are media speculation; Palace have made no announcement and have not commented on Sage’s position.
The numbers are stark. Palace went into the weekend on seven points from eight games, with 19 goals conceded, according to the league table published by 101 Great Goals before kick-off. Two more conceded at Spurs leaves them among the leakiest defences in the division and, crucially, below the dotted line.
Why this matters for Palace’s Irish following
Palace have a loyal Irish fanbase, helped in recent seasons by the club’s FA Cup triumph in 2025 and a first European campaign. That success under Glasner is exactly what makes this slump so jarring. Sage has so far been unable to give the side the defensive solidity that underpinned those years.
For context, Sage is not alone under scrutiny this weekend. Manchester United’s Michael Carrick is also fighting for his job after a ninth game without a win at Chelsea, while Palace are now level on points with United in the lower reaches of the table.
What happens next
Palace’s next fixture could hardly be tougher: Liverpool at Selhurst Park, the final game before the November international break. Goal suggested that match could be Sage’s last in charge if results do not improve, though that remains a matter for Parish and the board.
An international break is traditionally when Premier League clubs make managerial changes, giving a new coach two weeks on the training ground. If Palace lose to Liverpool, expect the speculation to intensify sharply. If Sage can somehow conjure a result, he may buy himself the breathing space he insists he needs.
Spurs, meanwhile, will be eyeing the top six. De Zerbi said his side cannot forget where they were before the last international break, and singled out midfielder Sandro Tonali for praise.
We will update this article if Crystal Palace make any announcement about their head coach.
Sources
- Goal: Pierre Sage on the brink as Mateta’s early red card hands Tottenham a 2-0 win (31 October 2026)
- The Guardian (via AOL): Spurs see off Crystal Palace after Mateta’s early red to pile pressure on Sage (31 October 2026)
- 101 Great Goals: Tottenham 2-0 Crystal Palace match report (31 October 2026)
- Sky Sports: Scores and fixtures, 31 October 2026 (31 October 2026)
- Wikipedia: 2026-27 Premier League (managerial changes) (accessed 1 November 2026)
Featured image: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with The Tottenham Experience, February 2019 by Hzh, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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