Just when Tottenham Hotspur fans thought they’d seen it all from their team this season, they are forced to rethink now, after Crystal Palace won the London derby 3-1 in North London on Thursday evening.

After Spurs were lucky to get away with the marginal offside call for Ismaila Sarr’s goal, they made it count by going at the other end and scoring. Dominic Solanke gave the hosts the lead following brilliant play from Archie Gray on the right. However, the lead lasted just for a couple of minutes.

Micky van de Ven received his marching orders for denying Ismaila Sarr a clear goalscoring opportunity, conceding a penalty in the process. Sarr calmly rolled past Guglielmo Vicario for 1-1, before Crystal Palace shifted gears. Two first-half stoppage-time strikes from Jorgen Strand Larsen and Sarr gave the Eagles a two-goal cushion and deepened Igor Tudor’s concerns on the touchline.

It doesn’t take rocket science to gauge that the red card to Micky van de Ven completely changed the complexion of the game. It wasn’t like Tottenham were playing champagne football and dominating Palace, but the players were showing fight and spirit in contrast to their displays against Arsenal and Fulham....