Pierre Sage Defiant After Crystal Palace Fall To Tottenham Defeat

Sage Refuses To Step Aside

Crystal Palace manager Pierre Sage says he will never give up despite seeing his side fall 2-0 away to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. The defeat leaves Palace in the Premier League relegation zone after taking just two wins from their opening seven fixtures under their new French boss.

Pressure has continued to grow on Sage following a home loss against Newcastle last Sunday. Saturday's defeat at Tottenham was the team's third straight league loss, but Sage struck a confident tone after the final whistle.

Sage admitted that relegation is a disaster for any Premier League team, especially when speaking about his own club. He explained that he is uncomfortable with their current league position, noting that it comes as a direct result of poor performances on the pitch.

He added that the only way he can change the situation is by getting back out onto the grass. Sage promised supporters that he would be the first person on the training pitch on Monday to lead the squad.

Early Red Card Changes The Game

Palace saw their game plan disrupted early in the first half. Striker Jean-Philippe Mateta was shown a red card in the 13th minute after catching Spurs captain Micky van de Ven on the Achilles with a studs up challenge.

Referee Michael Oliver initially handed Mateta a yellow card for the incident. However, the decision was upgraded to a straight red card after a VAR review.

Playing with ten men left Palace struggling to cope as Tottenham dominated possession. The home team secured their victory by scoring a goal in each half. Archie Gray and Jan Paul van Hecke both found the net to seal the three points for Spurs.

De Zerbi Calls For Attackers To Be Ruthless

Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi praised his players for a mature performance after the match. Spurs created a large number of scoring opportunities, finishing the contest with 34 total shots while allowing Palace very few chances on the counter attack.

Even with the comfortable victory, De Zerbi stated that his attacking players need to show more nastiness in front of goal to achieve perfection. He emphasized that players in the forward positions must always have the drive to score.

De Zerbi reminded his squad that Tottenham were sitting bottom of the table just two weeks ago before their fixture against Coventry. He stressed that the team must remember where they were while continuing to play with freedom.

In the closing moments of the game, De Zerbi handed a Premier League debut to 18 year old Luca Williams-Barnett, praising the teenager as a great talent.