Pierre Sage Vows To Fight On Following Palace Relegation Zone Drop
Crystal Palace manager Pierre Sage confirmed he will not resign following a 2-0 Premier League defeat against Tottenham Hotspur on November 1, 2026. The result dropped Palace into the relegation zone after picking up two victories from their opening seven league fixtures.
Crystal Palace played the majority of the match with ten men at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after striker Jean-Philippe Mateta received a 13th-minute red card. Referee Michael Oliver initially issued a yellow card for a challenge on Tottenham captain Micky van de Ven, which was upgraded following a video assistant referee review. Tottenham capitalized on the numerical advantage, recording 34 total shots with goals secured by Archie Gray and Jan Paul van Hecke.
Crystal Palace
club| Match Statistics | Tottenham Hotspur | Crystal Palace |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 2 | 0 |
| Total Shots | 34 | – |
The result marks Crystal Palace’s third consecutive league defeat, compounding difficulties in the early stages of the campaign under Sage.
“My only way to change a thing is to go on the pitch. That is why I talk to the players and I want to be the first on the pitch on Monday. They can trust in me. I will never give up,” Sage stated.
Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi assessed the match by stating: “I’m very happy for the performance, because we showed to be a mature team with clear ideas. We didn’t concede a counter-attack, maybe just one in the second half. We created many, many chances.”
Reporting by George Sessions for the PA news agency.
