Tottenham Hotspur made it three Premier League wins in a row on Saturday, as goals from Archie Gray and Jan Paul van Hecke condemned 10-man Crystal Palace to a 2-0 defeat in North London.

Both of Spurs’ goals actually came from corners. Archie Gray opened the scoring with a free header from Mohammed Kudus’ corner before Jan Paul van Hecke doubled the home side’s advantage. The Dutchman nodded home the rebound after his initial effort from point-blank range was expertly kept out by goalkeeper Dean Henderson.

It was a dominant display from Roberto De Zerbi’s side from start to finish. Buoyed by only a second triumph at Chelsea in 36 years last weekend, Tottenham’s task was made more routine by a 13th-minute red card for Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta for a studs-up tackle on Micky van de Ven. VAR intervened to assist referee Michael Oliver, and it was largely one-way traffic after Mateta’s sending off.

Roberto De Zerbi reacts to Tottenham’s win over Crystal Palace

Tottenham players looked confident and hungry right from the first blow of the whistle. They passed the ball around with intent, made smart movement, created spaces and linked play very well. The hosts barely allowed Crystal Palace to settle into the game, hunting their players in packs to win back possession.

Roberto De Zerbi was asked about his team’s performance and win over the Eagles. The Italian tactician said he was very happy with the display but admitted Tottenham should’ve scored more goals with “more nastiness”.

“Very pleased with the performance, very tough game. You don’t know 11 [against 11] would be a different game, but Crystal Palace are very tough because they defend with a low block, no space, and we showed we are a mature team,” De Zerbi said in an interview to Sky Sports (h/t BBC Sport).

“Maybe we could score more goals with more nastiness, but I am very happy because we created many chances. We need more goals for sure. It’s not enough, but we are improving a lot.

“I was very nervous before the game, during the game, after the red card, it’s always better playing with one player more. But today, against this team, they played with this behaviour, all behind the line of the ball, aggressive. Very tough game.”

Spurs are on a roll

Tottenham starved Palace of counter-attacking threat, dominated central and wide areas, and forced the visitors into prolonged periods of desperate defending. Mateta’s red card helped Spurs gain control, but once the Eagles dropped into a deep 10-man defensive block, it was all about finding ways to unlock it.

And De Zerbi’s side did manage to do it, utilising their extra man to good effect. They stretched Pierre Sage’s team and dominated them, and had it not been their skipper Dean Henderson in goal, Tottenham could have easily won by a bigger margin.

All in all, it was another solid display from the Lilywhites, who climbed to eighth in the table with the victory.