Crystal Palace 0-1 Tottenham (Gray 42’)
You have to hand it to Tottenham Hotspur, for few other teams approach every Premier League match with the reverence it deserves, entertaining each opponent as if humbly prostrating themselves before a prime Barcelona.
Perhaps it was the blaugrana of Crystal Palace shirts that caused the confusion, but winning ugly is still winning. The simplicity of Frank-ball will still have its deriders but to listen to him speak before kick-off, it all sounded so simple. Target Palace on the break and exploit their glaring weaknesses from set pieces, which after Archie Gray’s first career goal, account for six of their last nine conceded.
Should we ignore the aesthetics, it worked to a tee. The explosion of joy from Gray after heading in from Pedro Porro’s in-swinging corner was the antidote needed to stem the toxicity. Spurs’ hit rate from the dead ball is the most successfully imported weapon from Frank’s Brentford days. An even greater positive was the impact of his substitutions.
Archie Gray finds the net in his 112th appearance in senior football! pic.twitter.com/CuRxXjzJMG
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 28, 2025Much like the plain slice of bread which mops up the Full English, none of Joao Palhinha, Radu Dragusin, Brennan Johnson or Wilson Odobert often get the credit they deserve. They do not always add glitz but here put a gloss on what had been another underwhelming display, two disallowed Richarlison goals adding to Spurs’ frustrations.
The Odobert cameo was especially instructive. With a conventional left-winger on that side, Spurs were a different proposition to the first hour, when the role had been filled by Randal Kolo Muani. They were encumbered by the absence of the suspended Xavi Simons, their most effective (fit) creator, though it was of course entirely self-inflicted following a moment of madness against Liverpool.
It is not unusual that their first shot on target translated into a goal, not least because in many games Spurs only manage the one. Without such a ratio they might never score at all. The sparsity of chances may be looked down upon, yet how Oliver Glasner would love a conversion rate like that.
Spurs’ success required a horrorshow in front of goal from Palace as Jean-Philippe Mateta, Justin Devenny and Maxence Lacroix peppered Guglielmo Vicario’s goal to no avail. Little wonder they are the league’s lowest converters of expected goals (xG). Frank’s side cannot usually afford to be so generous.
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Until the last 20 minutes, Palace were able to control the game and it was only their profligacy that let Tottenham off the hook. That leaves two ways of interpreting a vital victory for Frank – strategic, or chaotic?
That question sums up the ambivalence towards his reign so far. Interpreting its intricacies is becoming ever more difficult for a new-look board, minus the swinging axe of Daniel Levy.
Frank was at pains this week to point out that Spurs are not really a Champions League team, and are only playing in that competition because they won the Europa League. He reiterated that they finished 17th last term. In that light, it is becomes easier to accept that even the wins should feel excruciating.
The year will be remembered for the glorious ventures in Bilbao over an appalling league record, but it ends with a toss-up of what Tottenham want to be. The Overton window of what kind of performances are acceptable shifted long before Frank’s entrance. But what matters is what works, and these are the realities of the project they have embarked on.
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