Are De Zerbi's Spurs finding elusive consistency? — SkimNews
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- Tottenham secured their first three consecutive Premier League wins in almost 21 months, following victories over Coventry City and Chelsea with a win over Crystal Palace after Jean-Philippe Mateta's 13th-minute red card for a lunge at Micky van de Ven; the previous streak came in February 2025, more than 600 days earlier.
- Archie Gray and Jan Paul van Hecke scored as Spurs cruised past Palace, building on their first league win of the season against Coventry City and a Chelsea victory that was only their second league triumph at Stamford Bridge in 36 years.
- Tottenham matched as many victories in their three-win run as they collected in their previous 26 league games, a stretch containing 10 draws and 13 losses, while recording back-to-back home league wins for the first time in two years.
- Sandro Tonali, signed for £100m, and £85m signing Mateus Fernandes started slowly but now show the qualities De Zerbi paid for in his £300m summer rebuild; Tonali began to come to life against Coventry City and was pivotal against Palace, while Fernandes remained lively throughout.
- Dejan Kulusevski made a lively substitute appearance after a long injury absence, received a rapturous reception and forced a fine save from the Crystal Palace goalkeeper.
- Tottenham recorded 34 shots against Crystal Palace's two, the largest 32-shot difference they have had since Opta records began in 2003-04, and held 79.4% possession, their second-highest Premier League share after 80.2% against Newcastle United in August 2019.
- De Zerbi said three wins were not enough to change Tottenham's last two to three seasons, while urging the club to stay ambitious, hungry and prepared identically for every match; he said the mood, spirit and relationship with the players had changed.
Why it matters: De Zerbi's £300m summer rebuild now has a concrete payoff: three consecutive league wins, a top-half position and back-to-back home victories after only three wins in the previous 26 matches. The material change is the players' collective mood and preparation, although the head coach says this run remains too short to alter the last two to three seasons.
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