Tottenham beat Crystal Palace 7–0 at Selhurst Park on September 20, 2026, with Olivia Holdt scoring a second-half hat-trick. All seven goals came after a goalless first half in the Women’s Super League.
Victoria Pelova scored twice, while Shekiera Martinez and Amanda Nilden added a goal each. The result kept Spurs unbeaten through their opening three league matches and took them into second place at the end of Sunday’s games.
Palace played most of the match with 10 players after an early red card. Yet they reached halftime level before Tottenham turned pressure into goals after the break.
Tottenham vs Crystal Palace: Score and Scorers
| Scorer | Goal minutes | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Olivia Holdt | 49, 61, 73 | 3 |
| Victoria Pelova | 76, 90 | 2 |
| Shekiera Martinez | 79 | 1 |
| Amanda Nilden | 86 | 1 |
These minutes come from Tottenham’s official match report. A hat-trick means three goals by one player in the same game; two goals are often called a brace.
Palace Hold Firm Before the Break
Fuka Tsunoda received a straight red card for a challenge on Cathinka Tandberg in the opening minutes. That left Palace a player short for most of the contest.
However, Tottenham could not score before halftime. Tandberg hit the crossbar, and goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin also pushed an Amanda Nilden effort onto the bar.
The 0–0 halftime score matters when reading the final result. Palace had kept Spurs out for an entire half, even though the visitors had an extra player.
Our previous WSL weekend report covered Palace holding Arsenal. This match brought a very different outcome a week later.
Olivia Holdt Changes the Match
Holdt broke the deadlock four minutes after the restart. Pelova crossed from the right, and Holdt met the ball with a volley to put Spurs ahead.
She then added two more goals to complete her hat-trick. Her three strikes gave Tottenham a 3–0 lead before the late burst from her teammates.
RTÉ’s WSL round-up confirms Holdt’s treble and the seven-goal result. It also places the game within a Sunday programme that included Everton’s win at West Ham and a Brighton–Aston Villa draw.
Martin Ho Praises the Second-Half Response
In his post-match assessment, Tottenham coach Martin Ho praised the players’ response after halftime. He pointed to better movement into scoring positions and improved finishing.
Ho also discussed the defensive side of the display. He felt Spurs had allowed too many counter-attacks before the break but stopped Palace’s quick breaks more effectively in the second half.
That is an important part of the result. Tottenham finished with their first clean sheet of the league campaign. A clean sheet means a team goes through a match without conceding a goal.
What the Result Means for Spurs
Tottenham’s unbeaten start now includes two wins and a draw. That gives them seven points, with three points awarded for each win and one for the draw.
The victory moved them into second place after three games. However, this is still an early-season position, rather than a final measure of the title race.
The clearest lesson from Tottenham’s win over Crystal Palace is how sharply a game can change after halftime. A match that stood at 0–0 became a seven-goal victory, led by Holdt and backed by several scorers.
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