BY OUR FOOTBALL REPORTER
At Selhurst Park
TOTTENHAM Hotspur signed off 2025 by proving that even in the intimidating “Bear Pit” of Selhurst Park, sometimes desire beats detail.
On a freezing Sunday afternoon in South London, Archie Gray became the hero Thomas Frank desperately needed.
The 19-year-old’s first-ever senior goal was enough to secure a gritty 1-0 win, leaving Crystal Palace wondering how they finished the year empty-handed after dominating for large spells in their own backyard.
Selhurst Park is never a friendly place for visitors, and the Holmesdale End was in full voice from the off, sensing blood against a Spurs side that had won just once in their previous eight league outings. For 40 minutes, it looked like the Eagles would soar.
Jean-Philippe Mateta missed a header he’d usually score in his sleep, while Justin Devenny—making a name for himself in the Palace engine room—saw a goalbound effort blocked.
But for all the noise and pressure generated by the Selhurst faithful, Palace lacked the clinical edge to match their atmospheric advantage.
Just before the interval, the stadium was silenced.
Pedro Porro, a constant threat from the flank, whipped in a corner that the Palace defense failed to deal with.
Richarlison, starting in place of the suspended Xavi Simons, flicked the ball on, and there was Archie Gray to poke home from point-blank range.
At 19 years and 291 days, Gray became the youngest Englishman to net a Premier League goal for Spurs since Dele Alli achieved the feat—ironically also against Palace—back in 2016.
The second half was a tale of Selhurst tension and VAR intervention. Richarlison thought he had doubled the lead twice, but both times the video assistant referee played the role of the Grinch, ruling the Brazilian offside by the thinnest of margins.
Palace threw everything but the kitchen sink at the Spurs goal in the closing stages.
Maxence Lacroix headed wide and Devenny ballooned a golden chance over the bar, as the home crowd’s roars turned to groans of frustration.
Spurs boss Thomas Frank was jubilant at the final whistle, acknowledging the difficulty of winning at one of the league’s most soulful venues.
“To come here and win 1-0 is difficult. This is a tough place,” Frank admitted. “I loved the discipline. Sometimes you just have to get your body on the line.”
For Oliver Glasner and Palace, it was a bitter end to a historic 2025.
Despite having more possession and shots than in almost any other game this season, the Eagles’ lack of a finishing touch saw them grounded at the final hurdle of the year.
CRYSTAL PALACE (3-4-2-1): Henderson 6; Lacroix 6, Guehi 6, Chalobah 5 (Sarr 6); Munoz 6, Wharton 7, Hughes 6, Mitchell 6; Devenny 7, Eze 6; Mateta 5.
SPURS (4-3-3): Vicario 7; Porro 7, Danso 8, Van de Ven 7, Spence 6; Bentancur 7, Gray 8, Bergvall 6; Kudus 6, Richarlison 7, Odobert 6.
