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.
AWONIYI DOUBLE LEAVES NOTTINGHAM FOREST ON THE VERGE OF PREMIER LEAGUE SAFETY
Nottingham Forest moved closer to safety with a 3-1 win over Chelsea, while West Ham fell into the relegation zone after Spurs won.
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Nottingham Forest came out of the weekend looking pretty safe after pulling off an impressive 3-1 win at Chelsea. They’re almost clear of the relegation mess. Tottenham’s big away win at Aston Villa shook things up too, and now West Ham are back in the bottom three, running out of time faster than ever.
Forest have stepped up just when they needed to, leaving West Ham and Tottenham behind with a string of solid performances. Honestly, no one saw this coming, especially since Vitor Pereira shuffled his lineup with eight changes, fresh off a Europa League win against Aston Villa.
Even so, Forest were ahead within 90 seconds, thanks to Taiwo Awoniyi’s quick strike. By the 15th minute, Igor Jesus calmly buried a penalty after Malo Gusto’s reckless foul in the box. Chelsea had a chance to get back in it, but Cole Palmer wasted a penalty right before the break after a scary head collision involving Jesse Derry.
Awoniyi doubled down and scored again early in the second half, pushing Forest six points ahead of West Ham with just three games left.
West Ham’s weekend started badly; they looked flat and lost to Brentford. Things got worse Sunday night when Tottenham pulled off their first back-to-back Premier League wins since August 2025, beating a heavily rotated Aston Villa side 2-1.
Forest is now out of West Ham’s reach, or almost. Tottenham’s still close enough for Nuno Espirito Santo’s team to worry, but with three tough games coming up, Spurs could stay up even without another win, unless West Ham digs deep and pulls off something unexpected before their home finale against Leeds.
Right now, Forest can practically taste safety. Spurs finally see a way out after weeks of struggle. As for West Ham, they’re left hoping for a miracle, a last-minute twist to dodge the drop.
CESC FABREGAS CONFIRMS INTEREST IN PREMIER LEAGUE RETURN AMID CHELSEA'S MANAGER SEARCH
As Chelsea searches for a new manager, Cesc Fabregas breaks his silence on his future at Como and his Premier League ambitions.
Cesc Fabregas recalls exactly how a conversation with Jose Mourinho prompted him to join Chelsea, despite having the opportunity to return to Arsenal.
After winning six trophies in just three seasons, the Spanish World Cup winner left Barcelona for the second time in 2014. That summer, Fabregas made a move back to the Premier League, signing with Chelsea for about €33 million.
He already knew English football well. Fabregas had arrived at Arsenal as a 16-year-old from Barcelona in 2003 and made 212 Premier League appearances for them. When he decided to leave Barcelona, Manchester City also wanted him, but Chelsea convinced him, mostly thanks to Mourinho.
Talking with talkSPORT’s Rory Jennings on YouTube, Fabregas laid out how it all happened. “Honestly, when I made up my mind to leave Barcelona, my first thought was just to go back to Arsenal. They had this buyback clause; they had two weeks to use it after I told them I was leaving. They knew about it but didn’t take it. That surprised me a little, but in the end, I had to think about my career. I was 27, at the peak of my career, and I wanted to continue performing and winning trophies. City and Chelsea were both options.
“But when Mourinho spoke to me, that was it. He showed me his plans for the team and told me about Diego Costa, Courtois, and Filipe Luis and how, with those guys, we’d win the league. He was right, by the way. We won both the Premier League and the Carling Cup.”
Fabregas wasted no time winning over Chelsea fans. On his debut at Burnley, he set up two goals, including a stunning assist for Andre Schurrle. He finished his first season at Chelsea with five goals and 24 assists, along with Premier League and League Cup medals.
Things dipped the next season. Fabregas got just 15 goal contributions, and Chelsea slipped all the way to tenth. But when Antonio Conte took charge in 2016-17, they bounced back, and Fabregas picked up another league title.
He added an FA Cup win in 2018, his second, after his earlier one with Arsenal, and left for Monaco a few months later. His last Chelsea match came in the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest. When he got subbed off, he couldn’t hold back tears.
Chelsea supporters still sing about him; that “Oh, Fabregas is magic...” chant sticks around. And with his name in the conversation for a possible return, maybe they haven’t seen the last of him yet.
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