HOW ARCHIE GRAY’S CLOSE-RANGE HEADER DISMANTLED CRYSTAL PALACE’S DEFENSE
Archie Gray’s first professional goal secured a 1-0 win for Tottenham over Crystal Palace, easing the pressure on Thomas Frank.
Archie Gray scored, boosting Tottenham's spirits after a year of ups and downs, in a game that mirrored their confusing season.
They didn't show their usual spark and spent much of the game defending against Crystal Palace's attacks.
Still, Spurs showed grit and threatened from set pieces and fast breaks.
They beat Palace at their own game, even with two goals disallowed for close offsides and a late shot hitting the post when Palace was pushing for a tie.
Thomas Frank's team held on, proving that sometimes, winning is all that matters.
This win gives Frank some breathing room, moving his team to mid-table. Every win buys him more time to shape Spurs the way he wants, building a team with a bit more flair.
Archie Gray's goal eased the pressure on Thomas Frank as Tottenham edged out Crystal Palace.
The young Tottenham star scored his first pro goal, securing a 1-0 away victory.
The good things? Gray's first Spurs goal, a clean sheet, a strong defense, and a smart late-game move by the coach.
They had some luck, and Palace will regret the chances they missed.
Frank strengthened the team by bringing on Joao Palhinha to control the midfield after Lucas Brgvall got hurt, switching to a back three to seal the win.
They finished strong, with Wilson Odobert threatening on the break.
They'll try to build on this as they finish 2025, a year they won the Europa League but lost 20 Premier League games.
This performance won't convince those who doubt Frank is the right guy for the job. It's easier to win like this away from home in front of a smaller crowd than at home with 60,000 fans.
There are signs that Frank is figuring out his best team for 2026. The only changes from the last game were to replace Xavi Simons and Cristian Romero, who were suspended after getting red cards against Liverpool.
Kevin Danso stepped in at the back and played well, despite an early scare when he tripped Justin Devenny, and the crowd wanted a penalty. But there was enough defensive cover to cause the ref to judge it as not a clear scoring opportunity.
Pressure's been building on Frank after Tottenham's slow start to the season.
Richarlison, back in the starting lineup, did his pigeon dance in the 17th minute, thinking he'd scored. But it was called back for an offside against Bergvall earlier in the play.
The VAR decision lifted Palace and their fans, quieting Spurs down.
Playing at Selhurst Park is never easy, even though Palace has been better away lately and had a tough run of four games in 10 days before Christmas.
They're learning to handle the pressure of success on their schedule and the toll it takes on their thin squad. They have skill and are well-organized, dominating for 20 minutes as Spurs lost control of the midfield.
Jean-Philippe Mateta missed a shot wide and headed one high after Maxence Lacroix headed a cross back across the goal.
Guglielmo Vicario played it safe with the ball at his feet and made key saves to deny Devenny and Wharton during this period.
Will Hughes also came close before Frank's team responded, taking the lead from a corner they won on a counterattack.
The goal probably made Spurs' coach extremely happy. Great delivery by Pedro Porro, followed by three headers in the box.
Randal Kolo Muani headed it back across the goal, Richarlison helped it on, and Gray finished it off with a close-range header.
It was his first goal for Spurs and his first in 112 senior games for the 19-year-old, who came over from Leeds in 2024.
Palace missed more chances.
Nathaniel Clyne and Devenny messed up a great chance at the far post. Clyne headed a cross by Yeremy Pino back inside, but Devenny's first touch pushed him away from the open net, and his shot went over.
Maxence Lacroix headed wide when he should have scored, and Marc Guehi headed a corner over the net.
Spurs couldn't hold onto the ball until Palhinha came on and gave them more control.
Richarlison had a second goal called back for a very close offside before he scored off a cross by Kudus, after a nice pass by Gray.
Odobert hit the post from 20 yards out, and Dean Henderson saved Bentancur's shot in stoppage time.
DAVID MOYES SIGNALS JANUARY MOVE AS THIERNO BARRY’S GOAL DROUGHT CONTINUES
David Moyes admits Thierno Barry is struggling. Read why Everton is now targeting Nicolas Jackson to solve their scoring crisis.
Thierno Barry's Everton career hasn't exactly taken off after he came over from Villarreal this summer.
Everton spent a hefty £30m to get Thierno Barry, especially after he scored 19 goals with Basel and Villarreal.
He showed up with a lot of hype, and people expected him to do really well as a striker, but things haven't gone as expected.
Toffees fans aren't thrilled with Barry's play, even though they've noticed little progress lately.
Now, David Moyes has spoken frankly about the Frenchman before the January transfer window opens.
David Moyes says Thierno Barry hasn’t met expectations
Barry didn't even play against Burnley on Saturday since he's only scored one goal in the whole Premier League season.
Beto was picked instead, but didn't do great either, so Moyes might need to hunt for a striker when winter rolls around.
After the Burnley game, people asked the Toffees manager about Barry. He admitted that Barry just hasn't been up to par, even though he's had decent moments.
“I reckon he’s been alright in some matches; even when he subbed in today, the goalie pulled off a great save,” Moyes stated.
“But, yeah, he’s gotten better… We tried to keep giving him games so he'd feel sure of himself and get the chance to prove what he can do.
“At the end of the day, all our strikers need to score because that's their job. I think he's got one goal, and Beto's got one too, which isn't enough. We need more goals from you guys.”
Moyes has been supporting Barry and Beto all season. It seems like he's starting to get annoyed that they haven't scored enough.
It looks like the Scotsman is asking for a new striker in January. Everton is checking out a few players.
The Toffees are eyeing Nicolas Jackson, and there are whispers about Troy Parrott possibly coming to Goodison Park.
THE VAR MISS? WHY MICHAEL BRIDGES SLAMS THE SIMON ADINGRA CHALLENGE ON RODON
Leeds United star Joe Rodon suffers a "bad" ankle injury against Sunderland. Michael Bridges slams VAR for ignoring the challenge.
Leeds United is playing Sunderland, who they used to fight with for promotion in the Championship, this Sunday in the Premier League.
You just knew Leeds' game at Sunderland would be intense. Both teams, who battled for Championship promotion not long ago, are trying to keep up their good play since getting back into the Premier League.
Sunderland wanted to keep their winning streak going at home and keep pushing for a European spot, which has been surprisingly good. Leeds, coming to the Northeast, had a chance to keep their recent good form going. This has given their coach, Daniel Farke, some room away from being relegated and made fans think they can stay in the top league for more than just one season.
Early on, there was a scary moment for Farke when Joe Rodon, a key defender, went down after a challenge from Brian Brobbey. Nobody blamed Brobbey, but Michael Bridges, who used to play for Leeds, wondered if a second challenge on Rodon from Brobbey's teammate, Simon Adingra, should have been looked at by the VAR.
It looked like Adingra caught Rodon with his leg, and Rodon's ankle seemed to twist under him, causing an injury that ended his game early. To make things worse for Leeds, Adingra then scored, giving his team a small lead going into halftime.
Bridges, who was commentating for Sky Sports at the Stadium of Light, said, I think this one is much worse for Joe Rodon. Adingra doesn’t catch him with the first leg; it’s the second leg that does it. See how his ankle twists? That’s not good. I don’t think Joe will be back after that. I get why the first challenge wasn't a yellow card because it's just a trailing leg and wasn't on purpose. But this second one, because Adingra is so close, his knee comes down and rolls the ankle. VAR should take a look at that. It’s bad.