Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi has explained why he took off goalscorer Archie Gray at half-time in Tottenham’s clash against Crystal Palace.For the first time in two years, Tottenham Hotspur have won three consecutive Premier League matches, thanks to a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace. Saturday 31st October Premier League TottenhamTottenham2|0Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace Saturday 24th October Premier League ChelseaChelsea0|2TottenhamTottenham Monday 19th October Premier League TottenhamTottenham3|1CoventryCoventryGoals from full-back Archie Gray and centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke proved enough for Roberto De Zerbi’s side as they cruised past ten-man Palace.The victory lifts Spurs to eighth in the Premier League table, two points off the top five and four points behind fourth place. Position Team Played MP Won W Drawn D Lost L For GF Against GA Diff GD Points Pts 3 BrightonBrighton9 6 1 2 24 7 17 19 4 ChelseaChelsea9 5 1 3 19 15 4 16 5 LiverpoolLiverpool8 4 3 1 11 8 3 15 6 BrentfordBrentford9 3 5 1 16 9 7 14 7 BournemouthBournemouth9 3 3 3 14 13 1 12 8 TottenhamTottenham9 3 3 3 10 10 0 12 9 Aston VillaAston Villa9 3 3 3 10 13 -3 12 10 Hull CityHull City9 2 5 2 11 10 1 11 11 LeedsLeeds9 2 5 2 9 8 1 11 12 NewcastleNewcastle8 3 2 3 12 14 -2 11 Photo by Julian Finney/Getty ImagesRoberto De Zerbi explains Archie Gray half-time change at TottenhamDe Zerbi could not have asked for more from his side, who have also kept back-to-back clean sheets, having managed one against Chelsea last time out.The Tottenham boss was also able to give a run-out to a few of his returning stars, including Pedro Porro, Destiny Udogie and Dejan Kulusevski after his side gained control of the game.Porro’s introduction, though, meant that goalscorer Gray, who was filling in at right-back, came off at half-time, and now the Spurs boss has explained the reason for the change.Speaking to football.london, De Zerbi revealed that Gray’s substitution was not due to injury, but instead because of his first-half booking.He said: “Just yellow card and I didn’t want to take a risk with another yellow card. I’m sorry because he was playing well and I explained it to him.”A. GrayTottenham – Premier League (2026 – 2027)Appearances8Minutes Played625Average Rating6.76Goals1Tackles12Blocks1Interceptions10Duels Won33Fouls Committed9Yellow Cards2Red Cards0Stats correct as of 1 November 2026.Gray impresses for Spurs before half-time exitGray was superb during his time on the pitch, not only grabbing the opening goal but also proving to be one of Tottenham’s tidiest players on the ball.The full-back linked well with Kudus on the right as Tottenham ran riot against their London counterparts. Gray was handed a 7.8 match rating despite only playing 45 minutes. Archie Gray’s stats in Tottenham vs Crystal Palace:StatArchie Gray vs Crystal PalaceTouches60Top speed30.7 km/hDistance covered5.8 kmAccurate passes46/47 (98%)Chances created1Shots on target1Defensive contributions4Touches in opposition box5Passes into final third6Line-breaking passes4READ MORE: Tottenham should be concerned by what Mykhailo Mudryk has planned for NovemberThe post Good news for Tottenham and Roberto De Zerbi alleviates defender injury fears appeared first on Spurs Web.