​It’s the second time that the Eagles have had a man sent off this season after Axel Disasi’s red against Ipswich last month.

​Palace looked comfortable in the opening 10 minutes, but that quickly fell apart. Mateta caught Micky van de Ven high on the Achilles, and was sent off by Michael Oliver following a VAR review.

​Spurs upped the pressure and took the lead after a quarter of an hour; Archie Grey headed in Mohammed Kudus's deep corner, finding himself free at the back post. It was the 20th goal Palace had conceded so far this season, and yet another set piece.

​The visitors had moments where they tried to venture forward, but the lack of a centre forward on the pitch was a clear problem.

​It remained 1-0 at the break, but well and truly it seemed that it was going to take some second half in order for Palace to get back into it.

​Spurs did make a half-time change as goalscorer Grey was replaced by Pedro Porro, and they almost doubled their lead five minutes into the second half. Dean Henderson brilliantly saved Dominic Solanke’s swivelling volley.

​It was relentless from Tottenham though; this time Mateus Fernandes had an effort desperately blocked by the shoulder of Axel Disasi. Palace could not get out at all though, with the hosts managing as high as 92% possession in the opening 10 minutes of the second half.

​Sage brought on Eddie Nketiah for Yéremy Pino to try and fill that void left by Mateta’s early sending-off, while Óscar Mingueza's first league start for the Eagles came to an end as Anan Khalaili came on.

​It provided a spark as Dwight McNeil squandered a huge and rare chance in this game for Palace, as his volley was blocked at the last.

The pressure from Tottenham paid off though, as Jan Paul van Hecke doubled their lead. Fernandes put a wicked ball into the box, which van Hecke met and forced Henderson into a reflex save from close range, but the ball crashed off the underside of the bar, missed by Jaydee Canvot and bobbled in off the Netherlands defender.

Palace had hung on for as long as they could, but it was a goal that had been coming for quite a while.

Spurs came close to making it 3-0 on a couple of occasions in stoppage time; first, the teenager, Luca Williams-Barnett, pulled off a stunning run down the line, played the ball right across the box and Kudus somehow missed an open net.

​Moments later, Dejan Kulusevski almost marked his long return from injury with a shot that flew towards the top corner, only to be tipped over for yet another stunning save by Henderson, who had done his part to keep the score respectable.

​In the end though, it was a sixth defeat in nine league games for Palace, and though questions will continue to be asked of Pierre Sage’s future, there's not much he could’ve done after Mateta’s rash challenge so early on.