When striker Dominic Solanke gave 16th-placed Tottenham the lead against the run of play in the 34th minute, a first league win in 2026 looked on the cards for the host.

But it collapsed in shambolic fashion before the interval with Palace replying three times to stun the host side after Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven was sent off.

Van de Ven hauled back Ismaila Sarr in the area to receive a red card before Sarr slotted the home the resulting penalty.

Adam Wharton then played in Jorgen Strand Larsen to slot a low show past Guglielmo Vicario in the first minute of stoppage time and provided another classy assist for Sarr to make it 3-1.

Sarr also had a goal ruled out for a marginal offside shortly before Solanke's opener.

Ten-man Tottenham battled after the break in a subdued atmosphere but could not prevent a fifth successive league defeat which extended its winless league run to 11.

It has 29 points from 29 games, one more than Nottingham Forest and West Ham United which is in better form. Palace's victory lifted it into 13th place with 38 points.

Tottenham has been ever-present in the Premier League and was last relegated from the top flight in 1977, but interim manager Igor Tudor will have to turn things around very quickly if it is to stay above the trap door.

Palace boss Oliver Glasner, meanwhile, is confident Crystal Palace is going in the right direction after this win.

"I am very happy with the first-half performance," he said.

"Even before we conceded the goal, we played well, and then I really loved the reaction because it was only one or two minutes before with the disallowed goal. It was a very tight offside decision.

"The reaction was great, scoring three goals before half-time and controlling the game. It was really nice to watch, but we have to be self-critical. In the second half, we did not control the game how we wanted to.

"We gave them too many set plays around the box. We were talking about it at half-time, and we lost a little bit of aggression out of possession. We passed the ball and passed the ball, but were not sharp enough on second balls, because they went long.

"In the last weeks, I was asked about relegation, and now it's Europe. We will focus now on gaining momentum. We are going in the right direction and are back on track."

Palace has now moved up to 13th on 38 points, and is just six behind Brentford in seventh place, meaning a late push for a European place is still on the table.

Wharton is the first Palace player to record at least two assists in the first half of a top-flight game since former Palace star Michael Olise against Sheffield United in January 2024.

And he still has the belief that Palace can secure another European campaign next season.

"The target is to aim as high as possible, the gaffer has been saying it," he said.

"The league is crazy this year. If we take each game as it comes, we have a good chance of climbing the table.

"There is a lot of room for improvement [in my game], and I'm the first to critique myself. It's never going to be perfect; I'm just trying to work hard every day with the gaffer and with my team to keep improving."